Broken Soul
by EremikaHaven
Summary: What would have happened if Eren didn't make it in time to save Mikasa from the kidnappers when they were kids? What types of horrors would she have endured, and how would that change her when they get older? Is Eren too late when he finally does find her 5 years later, broken, sick and alone? Please Read and Review, thanks! WARNING: This is a VERY dark fanfic
1. Rescued

**Author's Note: The idea popped into my head randomly, and I plan on even making a theory video about it very soon. WARNING: This fanfic deals with graphic details of rape, abuse, and mentions of pedophilia. But from reading the summary, I imagine you figured that already.**

It was late at night, it had to be around two in the morning. The moon was full though, so things weren't dark at all really. The temperature was a bit cooler than usual, winter was approaching. You could actually see your breath from how cold it was.

Three figures walked down a slightly steep hill in the forest. They had just finished intense training with their ODM Gear, and were headed back to their base.

The young trainees were tired, while the youngest was sore. He had worked extra hard, in order to achieve his goal.

Eren Jaeger, only 14 years old, had joined the Survey Corps two years ago, when he was 12. After the titans broke through the wall, his mother was eaten by one of them.

Since that day, he had swore revenge on the titans, and would stop at nothing to destroy every last one. And save humanity.

Joining him, was his childhood friend Armin Arlet. Armin had also lost his family. They have been training hard these passed few years...and in that time, so far no more titans broke through.

"Remember everything we taught you tonight, Eren?", Reiner asked him gruffly, as Bertolt kept the lantern shining forward.

"Yes sir", Eren nodded, eagerly. "Good, then you should be all right tomorrow", Reiner nodded. As the guys passed a row of dark bushes, Eren paused.

He heard some loud rustling from the bushes. It sounded too loud to be a rabbit...but too quiet to be a bear.

"Eren?", Bertolt called back to him, as he and Reiner stopped. Eren blinked, looking back at them. Something about that rustling..he didn't understand why but..he had to see what it was.

"I'll catch up with you guys", Eren told them simply. Reiner and Bertolt frowned. "All right, just don't get killed", Reiner told him.

The two older guys turned their backs, and continued on their way back to base. Eren lit his own lantern, and approached the bushes.

He forced his way through, and saw on the other side was a dark cave. It was fairly big...big enough for a titan to fit into.

As he got closer to the cave's entrance, he felt a shiver down his spine, and actually tensed. He heard what sounded like a small rock being kicked slightly, or shifted.

There...couldn't be a titan in here...could there? No..that didn't make sense...it was impossible. But he also knew..something was in there.

Glaring, and swallowing hard, Eren gripped his blade. He pulled it out of its sheath, gripping the handle firmly. The blade shined under the moonlight, as he slowly took a step inside the dark, cold cave.

"Who's there?", he asked, after a few seconds of silence. He heard nothing. Biting his lip, he took a few more steps in.

"Are you human? Answer me!", he ordered. After another few seconds of silence...he suddenly heard a small breathy whimper.

Eren froze, he shined his lantern forward...and saw what looked like a pair of knees sticking out from behind a large rock. He also caught a glimpse of jet black hair. The figure slipped fully behind the rock, hiding.

Eren realized...it was a girl. Her breathing remained labored and shaky, as she started to whimper and groan weakly in pain.

"Oh...", Eren relaxed, as he put his blade away. He started to walk over. Her whimpering and heavy breathing continued.

"Hey it's all right...I'm not going to hurt you...", as Eren got closer, and peered behind the large rock, his heart sunk.

All color drained from his face at the sight of her, he even staggered a bit. The girl...she appeared to be his age. She had short jet black hair, pale skin, and was wearing an old, faded white nightgown.

But the parts that took Eren's breath away in horror, was her condition. She was eerily skinny, looking like she hadn't eaten in months.

She was also soaked in sweat, but most noticeably...was her small, but obvious swell in her stomach. Eren froze, seeing it.

"Are you...pregnant...?", he asked, in shock..she was so young. She didn't answer him, she was grimacing in pain, clutching her belly.

Her back was pressed to the rock, as she kept her eyes closed tightly, gritting her teeth. Eren's stomach churned...was she in labor? No...she didn't look...like she was 9 months along.

She looked more like she was only 4 or 5 months. Unless it was a dangerously premature labor. Only knowing that she needed help, Eren knelt down beside her.

"Hey...", he gently went to place a hand to her shoulder, thinking maybe she was in too much pain to notice he was there, but she suddenly flinched away, shaking like a leaf.

"Hey, hey, it's okay! It's okay..", Eren tried to assure the terrified girl. Her eyes finally opened, they were wide and terrified, as she continued to tremble violently.

She was shaking so bad, it nearly looked like a seizure. Eren froze, noticing her strange eye shape, and how black they were.

"Your eyes...wait..", then, he got a sick feeling, as he recognized her eyes. But..it couldn't have been here...there was no way she'd survive this long...or would she?

"Mikasa Ackerman...?", he asked her slowly. The girl remained silent, but she did look surprised he said it, as she continued panting.

"No way...you're alive...?! My dad and I...we came to visit you and your parents..five years ago. Your parents were...dead. And you were gone...they had kidnapped you..we looked for you but...", he trailed off, seeing her body go more limp.

She was still shaking, but she suddenly appeared worn out, panting and huffing for air, her eyelids half shut.

Eren's eyes grew more worried, as he slowly got closer. He gently reached over, she was too weak to flinch back. He gently placed a hand over her forehead.

His heart sunk, feeling how hot she felt. He even winced his hand back, it was like her skin was on fire.

'She's sick...really sick...', he realized fearfully, and her shivering also confirmed this. "You're burning up...here", Eren unwrapped his large green cloak, and wrapped it around her shoulders carefully.

Mikasa didn't say anything, she just continued to shiver, and wince in pain. Her breathing was labored, and remained heavy.

"I need you to talk to me, okay? I can't help you if...", he nervously glanced at her stomach. "Are you in labor...?", he asked her slowly.

She didn't answer him, she only grimaced painfully, curling up over her belly. Eren sweat dropped...this was bad.

The girl seemed to be completely mute...and after all she's been through, it was possible she may be deaf or blind as well.

But he did know she was extremely sick, emaciated, weak and pregnant. What he didn't know..was if she was in labor or not.

He wasn't a doctor...he had no way of knowing if it was safe to move her in this condition...but he couldn't just leave her here either.

He jumped then, his thoughts being interrupted as she released a cry of pain, closing her eyes tightly. Her body tensed, as she gritted her teeth.

Eren tensed as he watched her, her body appeared to be struggling, straining as she held her breath, her face flushed.

'Shit..! Shit, she's pushing...she's really in labor...!', his panicked thoughts paralyzed him for a moment, as she continued to struggle.

But then he snapped out of it. He had to help her. "Mikasa...? Mikasa, listen to me...you can't have your baby here...can you move?", he asked her.

Mikasa once again, remained mute. She gasped for air, breathing hard. Eren froze, realizing...when was the last time she had water?

He quickly reached in his bag, and pulled out a bottle of clean water. "Here...", he opened it, and offered it to her.

She was too weak to hold it, so he shifted closer, and held it up to her lips. She began to drink it, and then started to nurse on it desperately, drinking fast.

"Whoa, whoa, easy! Easy, slow down..you'll choke...take it slow...", Eren's eyes widened..she was dehydrated.

She downed the entire bottle, before gasping for air. "I need to get you somewhere safe...I'm going to carry you, okay? You're too weak to deliver...you think your baby will wait a few more minutes...? Just until I get you to a doctor...?", Eren asked her.

Mikasa breathed heavily, her eyes only halfway opened. But finally, she glanced at him. Her eyes...appeared soulless. Like she had been broken.

But then, to Eren's relief, she gave a small nod. Eren exhaled. "So you _can_ understand me...okay", Eren set his lantern down, and lifted her up onto his back. His heart dropped..she was so _light_.

It felt more like he was carrying a child, rather than a teenager. She weakly wrapped her arms around his neck...but it was such a weak effort.

"Hang in there, Mikasa", Eren carried her, and he exited the cave. The moonlight gave him enough light, as he made his way through the forest.

Mikasa rested against his back, her breathing remained hard and labored. Her whimpers and groans didn't ease up either.

Finally, Eren saw the base in sight. Standing outside was Armin and Sasha. "Eren..?", Armin blinked, and Sasha gasped.

"Oh my god!", she cried, as Armin ran over. "Eren, what happened?! Is she injured?!", asked Armin fearfully, as Eren came over.

"Sasha, get a doctor...hurry! She's..she's really sick...", Eren started to explain, as Sasha and a doctor hurried over.

"Lay her here, quickly!", the female doctor ordered. Eren gently lay her down onto the stretcher, as Mikasa remained in the same state. Armin and Sasha both froze, going pale when they saw her swollen stomach.

"I...I found her...in the forest. She was alone...I think she's in labor...", Eren started to explain, but he could hardly form words...it was so horrifying to explain.

She was so young...and here she was in this condition. "Eren...look...", Armin said then. Eren blinked, following his friend's gaze..and just noticed fresh blood below Mikasa's waist, on her nightgown.

He looked behind, and saw a long blood trail...indicating she started to bleed when he was carrying her.

The female doctor paled, as she examined Mikasa. "Oh no...oh no..okay...I need to get her treated NOW!", the female doctor's tone turned urgent, as she and another doctor lifted her up on the stretcher.

"What..?! What is it?!", asked Eren fearfully. "No time! She's going to die if we don't work on her right now!", the doctor replied urgently, as they carried her inside.

Eren froze up, his heart pounded. "Eren...what happened?", asked Sasha, horrified. "She...she just...", Eren began to explain it all to them.

"She's..Mikasa?! The Mikasa you and your dad...", Armin asked, in shock once Eren finished and they were back inside.

"I'm almost positive...you saw her eyes", Eren nodded. "Do you think she was in labor...?", asked Sasha anxiously.

"My dad was a doctor..so I'm not completely ignorant. I'm pretty sure she was...she was in a lot of pain, and she started...", he swallowed hard.

"Pushing...? That would explain the blood...", Sasha said softly. "She's so young...she can't be older than us...", Armin added.

Eren tensed up, clenching his fists. He knew...why she had been kidnapped all those years ago. She was oriental.

The kidnappers...would have sold her to pedophiles...older men who wanted a new 'thrill' and had their way with her.

That would explain such a young pregnancy...and her muteness. Not to mention her condition. She was most likely used as a sex slave...treated like an animal.

Eren couldn't even...begin to imagine what she's been through. He also couldn't believe she was still alive..and somehow managed to escape.

After hours of waiting, morning soon came. Finally, the female doctor stepped out. "How is she...?!", Eren asked, worriedly as he stood up.

Armin blinked...he had never seen Eren so worried about someone before. In fact...this was the longest Eren had gone without talking about, or even thinking about the titans.

The female doctor gave a grim sigh. "Not well...its a miracle she's alive. She's...in bad shape", she began.

"First of all..it's obvious she's been raped. Multiple times. She's also malnourished, dehydrated, and extremely weak. She also has pneumonia. She's very sick, and her fever is just now starting to break. She has bruises and scars all over her body as well..", she explained.

"And...the baby?", asked Armin worriedly, as Eren remained quiet, his heart sinking. The female doctor's eyes softened.

"She wasn't in labor...", she started. Eren and Armin blinked. "I'm afraid...when you found her..she was miscarrying...", the doctor confessed.

Eren's stomach flipped, and he actually felt sick for a moment while Armin paled. "She...lost the baby?", he asked, as Eren turned white.

"Yes...the straining you saw? She was...trying to pass the tissue, and the dead fetus. She was only 4 months pregnant. She most likely didn't even understand that's what was happening, she's so young. She was acting on instinct. By the time you carried her here, most of it was over...we just had to..extract some more tissue is all..", she explained grimly.

Eren remained silent, looking down. He clenched his fists...wanting to strangle..no...murder the sick bastards who did this to her.

"Will she recover...?", asked Armin. The doctor looked down. "I really don't know. She's far from out of the woods. Putting aside her physical condition, her mental condition is a whole other huge concern. She hasn't said a word, so its possible she's mute. She may have even forgotten how to speak...she's been through so much...she's going to constantly be fearful...", she replied.

"Can I...see her?", asked Eren, worriedly. "Actually, yes. That may be best...you're the one who found her, so she might open up to you faster..", the female doctor led Eren into the recovery room.

Eren entered the room, and he froze. Mikasa was resting in bed. She had been changed into a clean nightgown, her eyes were closed.

Her baby bump was completely gone, and she looked exhausted. Eren quietly sat at her bed side, watching over her.

She stirred weakly, her eyes opening halfway. She remained mute, but her gaze seemed focused. She shivered a bit.

Eren noticed. "Here...", he unwrapped his red scarf, and wrapped it around her neck.

"You're sick..and I'm sure you're anemic too. You...lost a lot of blood", he said softly. Mikasa's eyes opened a bit more..feeling the warmth from the scarf.

Eren bit his lip...and actually felt a lump forming in his throat..along with a powerful wave of regret and guilt.

"I'm so sorry Mikasa...I was...supposed to save you. You were just a child...9 years old..and you had to...go through all of that...just because I didn't get there in time to save you...", he looked down.

"I shouldn't have listened to my dad...I shouldn't have waited! I should have just...ran...to you as fast as I could. I should have murdered the sick bastards who did this to you...", he growled.

Mikasa continued to gaze at him, remaining quiet. Eren looked down, shaking furiously. "Nice going Eren...wasn't it bad enough you couldn't protect mom...?", he asked himself.

Mikasa blinked weakly. Some life returned to her eyes at his guilt. Eren wiped his eyes, as he stood up.

"You should rest...", he turned around, and went to exit her room. As he began to approach the door, Mikasa felt herself panic.

She struggled, parting her lips. Her throat was dry, and felt so sore. But...using all her energy, she formed a word.

"E-Eren..", she croaked, and her breath turned shaky. Eren froze, stopping dead in his tracks, his eyes widening.

He turned around and looked at her. "So...you can speak...", he said, as he came back over to her side. Mikasa breathed weakly.

He could tell by how croaky it was..she hadn't uttered a word in years. "Do you..want me to stay here?", he asked her gently.

Mikasa gave a weak nod. "Y-Yes...", she uttered out, her eyes pleading. She reached her hand out weakly to him.

Eren gently took it...it felt so cold. He gently rubbed it, in an attempt to help warm her up. The doctor would be bringing food and water in shortly for her.

"Y-You...saved me...?", she asked him, again her voice was weak and strained. "I found you...yeah...", Eren nodded gently.

Mikasa's eyes turned worried, her other hand weakly found its way to her now flat belly. "My...my baby...", she started.

Eren looked down grimly. "You lost the baby..I'm..so sorry...", he said softly. Mikasa's eyes softened, tears sparkling in them. But she was too weak to completely break down.

Eren realized...she had been alone for so long...this baby..was all she had. "Mikasa...you're not alone, okay? You're safe here", he promised her, giving her hand an assuring squeeze.

Mikasa gave an exhausted nod. Her eyelids were becoming heavier and heavier..she hadn't had decent sleep in so long...years.

"Get some sleep..I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere", Eren promised her. Mikasa nodded weakly, as she drifted off.


	2. Slow Recovery

**Author's Note: I had originally planned on this being a oneshot, but honestly not only are you guys curious to see where this goes, so am I! I'll most likely make it into either a full audiobook or visual novel after "It's Too Late" Visual novel is finished this summer. WARNING, again this fanfic deals with sensitive and graphic mentions of rape, pedophilia, and just overall what Mikasa would have gone through if Eren wouldn't have saved her in time. THIS chapter especially is very intense. Also, I decided not to add Rubi in this fic only because this is more canonverse, and I really wanna give Historia and Sasha some more spotlight for a change. Also, don't worry guys, I'll be updating It's Too Late soon!**

 _Six Years Ago..._

Everything felt cold to her...freezing in fact. Her vision was blurry, and her mind had gone into an intense shock at what she just witnessed. Her parents...they were gone...why? Why were they killed?

They didn't..do anything wrong. Why would those men...want to murder them? Her foggy thoughts were interrupted, when she felt one of the men grab her arm roughly, pulling her up.

They were taking her somewhere...she had no idea where. She was too out of it to care. The shock was too much...and she collapsed.

"What's wrong with this kid? She thinks she's royalty or something? Can't handle seeing some dead bodies?", one of the men asked, as he was forced to carry her over his shoulder.

"My guess is she was isolated, she was their precious only child, so they kept her away from the cruel world

"Whatever, she'll snap out of it soon enough", the man growled. Mikasa remained in a state of shock the whole journey.

When they finally arrived at a small, shady village, she was forced to walk. She glanced around at her surroundings, but she was still in shock. It was only a night journey here.

The village was crowded and loud, everything was too overstimulating for the traumatized child. The noise, the smells, even the temperature.

She somewhat snapped out of her shock, and weakly tried to break away from the man's grip, but she she shifted to the left only slightly, she was met with a violently barking dog.

It's owner pulled it back by a heavy chain, as Mikasa flinched back, frightened. "HEY! Don't stray to the side! We need you alive!", the man growled, pulling her closer...the man who killed her mother.

They had passed what looked like a dog fighting ring, and then found themselves face to face with a girl only a bit older than Mikasa.

She was surrounded by what appeared to be bodyguards, wearing a long white dress. She had pixie short brown hair, and frowned at Mikasa and the men.

"Outsiders! Show some respect to Lady Ymir!", a bodyguard ordered. The men frowned, but regretfully bowed their heads.

Mikasa didn't, she looked at this Lady Ymir with pleading eyes, begging for help..any kind of mercy. Lady Ymir frowned, looking at Mikasa with a cold stare. She clearly had her own agenda, and couldn't care about others.

"HEY GIRL!", a bodyguard ordered angrily. Mikasa flinched, and one of her kidnappers forced her head down.

"Sorry, my daughter's a bit slow", the kidnapper apologized. Mikasa felt her stomach churn at what he just called her...he lied...she wasn't...his daughter.

Lady Ymir and the bodyguards passed, as the men took Mikasa further into the village. They entered an unmarked building, and went downstairs into its basement.

Mikasa coughed a bit and covered her nose..the smell of alcohol was overwhelming for her. Her father was never a drinker...so she didn't even understand what that smell was.

The large room was dim lit, filled with older men, all ages between 30 and 70 years old. They seemed to be counting their money, or drinking, sitting at a dozen round tables that filled the room.

But as soon as the majority saw Mikasa, the chattering stopped, and they all starred at her. Some in shock, while some held an excited sick grin...all the eyes in the room was on her.

And all the eyes..filled with lust. It made Mikasa tremble violently, her heart beating rapidly in fear. Why...why were they all looking at her like she was some shiny prize?

"That's right, men! Your eyes don't deceive you! We have here, the LAST remaining oriental! Bored with our usual girls? This one here is completely different!", her kidnapper boasted, causing Mikasa to flinch.

"But like I said, LAST of her kind! So the bid price will be quite high", he added. "Is she a purebred?", one man asked...purebred...using the word like she was some rare breed of dog or cat.

"Why, yes!", her kidnapped lied, putting on a poker face. This was untrue...Mikasa was a half breed. Her mother was Japanese, while her father was German.

But because she mostly took after her mother, the lie was believable. The original plan had been to kidnap Mikasa's mother, since it wasn't near as risky to sell off an adult woman.

But a kid...this was extremely underground, and illegal. A basic, sick pedophile ring. Thus why the kidnapper got so mad at the other for killing Mrs. Ackerman.

Before Mikasa could process anything, she was forced forward, all the way to the back of the room, on some type of center stage. She saw about 11 other girls standing on the stage. They were all between the ages of 7 and 12.

They also were all handcuffed to each other. Mikasa was handcuffed on the right side, to the 11 year old girl next to her.

Mikasa noticed...each and every one of these girls had the same frightened and confused expressions on their faces as her.

Were there parents killed too? Just like hers? The bright lights gave Mikasa a searing migraine, as the men's loud talking didn't do her any favors.

"The Oriental's starting price is 2000! The others are at the usually 500", her kidnapped declared. "2000?!", one man complained, while others began shelling out their pockets.

"2050!", one bidded. "I'll pay 3000!", another yelled. "3020 for the Oriental!", another man shouted. No one was bidding on the other girls.

They all wanted Mikasa. The other girls gave Mikasa looks of pity, understanding whatever was going to happen to them, Mikasa would get the worst of it.

Mikasa trembled hard, her eyes filled with fear, but the men seemed to ignore her pleading eyes...if anything it seemed to only turn them on more.

"She's a serious cutie! I'll pay 4000!", one offered. "As long as she's under 11, I'll pay 4050!", another shouted.

Her kidnappers' grins got wider and wider at the price going higher and higher...it made Mikasa sick. She continued to shake, looking down.

Her hearing started to go muffled, as she tried to escape this horrible place, in her head.

'Mommy...daddy...please...come back...!', she thought desperately,

"6000!", someone offered then. Mikasa looked up shakily. A man in the back who appeared to be in his 30s or 40s...around her dad's age...had made a bet of 6000.

"Going once...going twice...SOLD! The 9 year old oriental sold to the man with the black jacket in the back row!".

Mikasa felt herself untied, and forced off the stage, and toward this man. She was shaking badly, but was too weak to fight it.

The man took her hand, surprisingly gently, and guided her out. The walk to his isolated cabin was silent. It was a few miles away from the town, and was quiet.

Mikasa felt some relief...being back in the forest, away from that horrible place. She sniffled, her knees going weak, as tears sparkled in her eyes.

The man who bought her stopped, and to her surprise, he knelt down at her eye level, and stroked her hair. "There, there sweetie...it's okay. You're not used to all that..", he spoke gently, and it actually soothed Mikasa.

His voice reminded her a little bit of her father. She looked at him.

"You've clearly been through a lot...those other morons don't understand", he added. Mikasa swallowed hard, she was so alone, and so desperate for comfort after what happened to her, she leaned in, and the man hugged her softly.

She was so young, so innocent...she started to think maybe this man bought her to save her. He lifted her up gently, and carried her inside.

Locking the door behind him, he gently set her on the bed. He was...strangely patient with her. He simply stroked her hair, and even got her food and water, until she felt safe enough to drift to sleep.

Mikasa slept pretty soundly...which was strange. Even though she was exhausted, she had been through so much, she was shocked she didn't have nightmares...she also recalled her tea tasting a little funny.

She didn't realize he had slipped her a strong sleeping pill, so even when she woke up, she'd be very weak and out of it.

Mikasa woke in the middle of the night, and her mind was foggy. She almost felt like she was in a daze...from a fever or something. Her senses slightly returned, when she felt a hand sliding down her body under the covers.

She flinched weakly, but the medication practically paralyzed her. "Shhhhh...settle down sweetheart...you'll get used to it...", the man whispered into her ear. Mikasa tensed, her heart pounding fearfully, her struggle was futile and weak...as he continued.

 _Present_

Mikasa's eyes flew open, and she shot up out of bed, panting for air, drenched in sweat, her heart feeling like it may burst from her chest.

She was sitting up, as she looked around at her surroundings. "Hey..! Mikasa..easy!", Eren, who had stayed with her, hurried over. Mikasa looked at him, her eyes still wide in fear.

She once again, looked around the room to make sure she was really here. "It's okay, you're safe..it was just a nightmare...", Eren promised her gently.

Mikasa swallowed hard, her lips parting a bit. "Here...", Eren quickly got her some cold water. Mikasa went to take it, her hands were shaky.

"No, let me...relax", Eren assured her, he gently helped her drink. Mikasa downed the entire glass, gasping for air.

Eren felt her forehead. "Your fever's almost gone...that's a good sign", he said softly. Mikasa didn't calm down, she was terrified. She kept eyeing Eren wearily.

Eren blinked, confused and worried. She...looked scared. Did she not remember he saved her? Mikasa felt her heart drop...in her mindset...this was a repeat.

The first man who molested her...he had acted like a caring person, acted like he was saving her. What if Eren...was the same way?

She had been asleep this whole time...had he touched her? Mikasa felt herself panic. She glanced toward the door, which was fairly far from her bed.

Eren blinked, studying her expression. "Mikasa...?", he gently went to reach out, and she suddenly flinched hard.

"N-No...NO! NOT AGAIN! PLEASE!", she panicked, and curled up against the corner of the bed, making herself as small as possible.

"Mikasa...! Mikasa! It's okay, it's okay!", Eren withdrew his hand, seeing she was suddenly terrified. She curled up into a fetal position, trying to shield all of her private areas, closing her eyes tightly, her trembling not easing.

"P-Please...no...Please...I'll be a good girl, master...please..just...please...not tonight..!", she suddenly pleaded.

Eren froze...all color drained from his face at what she just called him. It was obvious she was having flashbacks. "M-Mikasa..don't..! Don't call me that...it's Eren, remember...?", he started gently.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!", Mikasa apologized hysterically, only sinking deeper into this disturbing submissive behavior.

Eren remained frozen, in shock. It really sunk in more...what she's been through. Her shaking only continued, and he couldn't snap her out of it.

He wondered if maybe another girl could help her. Maybe she would be more comfortable with another girl than a guy.

"Hang in there...", he hurried out of her room, and looked around to see if any of the other trainees were awake.

"Krista!", Eren spotted the blonde girl about to enter her room. "Oh, Eren", she stopped. "I need your help..it's Mikasa..", Eren began to explain, worriedly.

Krista's expression turned serious, having heard what happened. "Lead the way", she insisted. Eren nodded, as he led Krista into Mikasa's room.

Mikasa was still curled up against the corner of the bed, shaking violently. "Oh my god...", Krista's eyes filled with horror at the sight.

"She had a nightmare...and just...panicked. I think she's...having flashbacks", Eren explained. "Eren, it's best you stay over there..she's really fearful of men right now...", Krista approached the bed carefully.

Mikasa continued to shake hard, her face covered by her hands. Krista gently sat on the edge of the bed.

"Mikasa...? Sweetie...", she started gently and quietly. Hearing another female voice took Mikasa by surprise...the last time she heard a female voice...other than her doctor...was her mom.

She glanced up carefully, her face soaked in tears. She was met with Krista's kind expression. "Hey there...it's okay. You're not going to be hurt here...or touched. You're safe okay...?", Krista began.

Mikasa bit her lip, shaking still. "I know..you have no reason to trust Eren or me...but you're safe. This is the place where soliders train. Train to fight the titans...this is a place of honor. In fact, most of us are your age", Krista explained.

Eren's eyes softened. "Maybe I should leave...", he said, seeing how uncomfortable Mikasa was. Mikasa heard this, and she slowly came out of her ball, and looked at Eren.

She realized...of course she could trust him. He saved her life...got her medical help..he even knew her. From before...when they were kids.

He knew her name. That alone...was enough proof. Plus...he was a teenager like her. "N-No...E-Eren...I'm sorry...", she started, her voice scratchy from screaming.

"No, hey, don't apologize Mikasa...", Eren assured her, worriedly. "You've been through a lot sweetie..I'll go get you some tea", Krista got up, and exited the room.

Eren slowly and carefully sat back down at her bedside, as Mikasa winced. "Did you hurt yourself..?", asked Eren worriedly.

"Just...a bruise", she replied, having banged her shoulder against the wall. "Is it okay if I look...? It's okay if no but...in case its bad", Eren asked, worriedly.

Mikasa bit her lip, hesitating. She finally nodded, and shifted a bit closer. She pulled her sleeve up, and Eren saw a small purple mark.

"It's not too bad...here..", he wrapped some ice chips in a cloth, and gently pressed it again the bruise.

Mikasa flinched a bit, but then relaxed slightly. Eren's eyes darkened a bit. Mikasa noticed. "Oh sorry...I just...I wish I could..get my hands right the bastards who did this to you...all of them", he explained.

Mikasa's eyes softened, remaining quiet. "I...am curious. How..did you escape?" Eren asked her then. Mikasa swallowed hard, she placed her hands in her lap.

"When...", she swallowed again, struggling. "Easy..take it slow...", Eren assured her, knowing her throat was hurting.

"When I realized...I had...I had a baby in my tummy...", she spoke then. Eren froze up once more...the way she spoke...it was becoming eerily obvious, because of what happened, she still had the mentality of a 9 year old.

It's not like this sick pedophiles provided a school. "You mean pregnant...?", asked Eren gently. Mikasa blinked.

"Oh..yes..I forgot..that word...mommy only said it once or twice...before...", she held a hand to her forehead, getting a headache.

"It's all right...take it slow Mikasa", Eren assured her again. He also knew talking to her...would help determine if she could recover mentally.

"When I...realized I was pregnant...I knew...I had to escape. I didn't want...my baby to go through what I did..I took a chance one night...when he was asleep...and I went out through the window. But..when I was halfway to the forest...my stomach..started to hurt. I thought...my baby was coming...so I ran into the cave...to try and stay out of the cold...", Mikasa explained.

She took a breath, swallowing hard. Eren offered her an ice chip to chew on, and she gladly took it.

"But..the pain was so bad...I didn't even...understand _how_ to have my baby...I just knew it hurt...and...", Mikasa trailed off.

"Your body was working on instinct...when I found you...you were pretty far gone. You were pushing...and breathing really heavy...", Eren recalled.

Mikasa's eyes darkened, her small hands cupped her stomach. "My baby...it...it really died?", she asked, still horrified.

"I'm afraid so...you were only 4 months pregnant. Women don't give birth until they're 9 months pregnant...you weren't taken care of. Whoever had you...he didn't feed you enough...you're emaciated after all. The baby needed food to stay alive...you didn't even have food for yourself...so its not a surprise...", Eren explained softly.

Mikasa bit her lip then. "I wonder...if it was just from that", she admitted then. Eren blinked, listening. "He...well..", she struggled for a moment to speak.

Eren was patient, as he waited. "The first man to...buy me...he seemed...gentle at first. He acted like he bought me to save me..he comforted me, and even fed me. He...treated me almost like a princess...", Mikasa confessed.

Eren's heart sunk...this explaining her sudden panic attack, and brief moment of not trusting him.

"During the day...he treated me like his daughter...he even bought me nice things...but...at night he...touched me...it went from uncomfortable...to painful...", she admitted, her tone was shaky.

"Mikasa...you don't need to talk about this...", Eren began, but a part of him wanted to hear it. All of it. So that hopefully...it could help catch the sick bastards who did this to her.

Mikasa shook her head. "I..need to...", she started. Eren nodded, understanding. He got a pen and paper...wanting to write down any important detail..to get justice for her.

"One night...a few weeks later...he...wouldn't stop touching me...here...", she subtly placed her hand in her lap...Eren understood where she meant.

"He just wouldn't...stop no matter how much I cried, and begged him too...I started to realize...he liked it when I was crying...one night, it became too much...he wouldn't stop...and I started to..get this strange feeling...I...couldn't stop shaking, and I began to feel light headed...I...was so scared I was dying...my heart wouldn't stop pounding and I couldn't breathe for several seconds...my back...wouldn't relax...", she explained.

Eren began to see red...as he realized what she was talking about. "He forced you...to have an orgasm..", he muttered, angrily.

"A what...?", asked Mikasa. "It's...something adult women experience with pleasure...its supposed to be a good feeling. But...forcing a child to go through it...", Eren gritted his teeth, glaring dangerously.

"What did he do next?", he asked, shaking his head furiously. Mikasa looked down. "He...just did that. He only touched me...", she admitted.

Eren blinked. "He didn't take your virginity?", he asked. Mikasa once again, blinked. "He didn't what...?", she asked. She really didn't understand these words.

"Oh...um...", Eren thought for a moment how to word it. "He didn't put his...in your...?", he gestured to his own lap, then to hers.

Mikasa paled, trembling. "N-No...that was...the second man...", she revealed. "When I turned 11...he got bored of me..and sold me to another one. The second one..did that to me...while also touching me...then...when I turned 13, he saw me as...too old, and the third man...was the one who...", she placed a hand to her stomach.

"The third one...got you pregnant", Eren realized. Mikasa gave a shaky nod. Eren nodded. "Okay...hey, its gonna be morning soon..you must be starving. Any requests?", asked Eren gently.

Mikasa hesitated...she hadn't been asked such a kind thing...in years. "Oh...well I...um...toast and eggs would be nice...mommy...she and daddy lived on a farm so..we always had fresh food...", she recalled.

"Sure, I'll get you some, just hang tight", Eren soothed her. Mikasa gave a weak nod, as she leaned back against her pillows.

Seeing the anger Eren held in his eyes for the men who did this to her...and the fact he knew her name...Mikasa knew she could trust him. She also...felt a deep connection to him. He was the first person to make her feel safe in a very long time.

Eren swore...made a vow...he's get the sick bastards who put Mikasa through this. The worst part was...he only knew a small glimpse of the horrors she had to endure.


	3. Mourning And Injury

**Author's Note: Sorry for such a delay on the final "It's Too Late" chapter guys, I will be updating it no later than Monday, its been hectic, and I'm just really inspired with this idea. Thank you for your patience!**

Eren exited the bedroom Mikasa was staying in. He gently shut her door, and took several steps down the hallway. He waited until he was out of Mikasa's hearing range, so he didn't scare her...

Suddenly, he punched a hole through the wall, his body shaking furiously, glaring dangerously. He couldn't get Mikasa's terrified cries, and expressions out of his mind. What all she suffered through...and the fact those scumbags for away with it.

"Eren..", Armin came over, a worried look on his face. He swallowed hard. "I take it...Mikasa told you a bit more", he said.

Eren growled, gritting his teeth, shaking madly. "I swear...I swear Armin...I'll kill the sick bastards who did this to her...! I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!", he vowed.

"Eren...", Armin starred, in horror. "It's...so much worse than we thought...", Eren went on to tell Armin everything he knew.

Armin's face expressed more and more disbelief as Eren went on. "Her doctor briefly mentioned...physical injuries, but I didn't see any wounds on her...so that means...", Armin said then. Eren cringed...understanding what Armin meant.

They walked into the kitchen area, where Sasha and Krista were.

"Hey guys...can you go stay with Mikasa while we make her some breakfast? She shouldn't be alone at all", Eren asked, having calmed down a bit after talking to Armin.

"Of course, I just finished the tea", Krista said.

"Sure thing", Sasha replied kindly, as they got up from the table, and headed down the hall.

Mikasa was resting in bed, gazing around at the room. Much like a child, she was a bit mesmerized by how beautiful the room was.

The vase of bellflowers especially held her attention. All the rooms she usually stayed in were dark...but this room was really comforting. The window was open..fresh air, something Mikasa rarely got when she was...with them.

The beautiful silk curtains breezing against the window, the hardwood, polished floors.

She couldn't even..remember the last time she was in a room this nice. She also noticed...her injury wasn't hurting. The doctor had given her strong antibotics and pain killers..it was so relieving to sit in bed, and not feeling the pain in her vaginal injury.

The third man that had her...owned her...he kept her in a dark, cold walk in closet. It had no windows...the air was always stale.

 _Four Months Ago..._

Mikasa was curled up in a fetal position on the floor of the small closet. She was so thin and little, she had more space than normal.

She felt like she was suffocating in the enclosed space though...how long had it been since he let her out? At least 10 hours...her bladder felt like it may burst.

But it wasn't just because she was locked inside this closet...she was injured. Badly. It stung to simply urinate...due to how torn she was.

She also couldn't remember the last time she had food..or water. She was exhausted, but she hurt too much to sleep.

So all she could do was lay there, like a dying dog. Life and light had left her eyes years ago. She blinked weakly, hearing heavy footsteps outside the door.

She could hear the door being unlocked...and then the door opened. Mikasa inhaled as deeply as she could for any sort of fresh air, panting.

"So you're still alive? Good...", a deep male voice sneered. He grabbed her by the hair, dragging her out of the closet. She remained limp, in too much pain to move.

"C'mon, GET UP!", he suddenly jerked her hard, causing some pain in the back of her neck, actually risking snapping it since she was so tiny.

He pulled her up. Mikasa staggered, struggling to stay on her feet. The pain between her legs was searing...and wouldn't let up. It also wasn't her first tearing...but it was most certainly her worst.

Instinctively, she clutched between her legs, grimacing in pain, hissing even through gritted teeth. "Hurry up and relieve yourself girl...then come right back out here", he growled at her, gesturing to the bathroom.

Mikasa went to walk towards it. "HEY! What are you forgetting?!", he suddenly shouted, causing Mikasa to flinch hard, shaking.

"Y-Yes Master...", she spoke, her voice was croaky and weak. She only talked when he demanded it...so she wasn't used to it.

"That's a good girl, don't keep me waiting", he began to strip his top, as Mikasa entered the bathroom. As Mikasa sat down to empty her bladder, she instantly cried out painfully.

She held back, it hurt too much. She could also see some blood...it was a nasty and painful tear. She grimaced, struggling badly.

"HURRY UP!", his voice bellowed, causing Mikasa to flinch. She released a scream of pain, as she forced herself to pee...the pain was so searing...so burning she could barely stand it.

She came close to passing out from how intense the pain was. And forcing it like this...was only going to make her injury worse and cause an infection.

When she finished, and exited the bathroom, her heart dropped. Seeing him unbuttoning his top, and removing his belt.

No..she couldn't handle it again...he'd kill her. It hurt too much...she...couldn't take it. "What are you waiting for? Take off those clothes", he ordered.

Mikasa hesitated. "P-Please...I can't..not tonight master...please..!", she began to plead. The man frowned, looking agitated.

He approached her, towering over her. "Are you going to be a good girl..or not?", he asked her darkly. Mikasa struggled to look at him.

"Yes...please, yes master I'll be a good girl..just not... _that_ tonight...please..", she started to plead, her voice shaky, when suddenly he hit her across the face, knocking her out.

Seeing she was unconscious, he grabbed her motionless body, and slammed her to the bed...and began to have his way with her.

When Mikasa woke..she was back in her closet. She winced, and hissed painfully, curling up. She groaned, the pain worse than ever between her legs.

She even cried out, tearing up as the pain only persisted the more conscious she grew.

 _Present_

The door opened softly, snapping Mikasa out of her deep thoughts and memories. She looked over, to see Krista and Sasha entering.

"Hey honey", said Krista kindly. She came over, setting the tea on the nightstand, as Sasha walked in as well.

Sasha looked at Mikasa, worriedly. "Your name's Mikasa, right sweetie? I saw you..when Eren brought you here", she gave a warm smile.

The girls sat at Mikasa's bedside. "How are you feeling?", asked Krista, once Mikasa drank some tea. "Tired...and a bit hungry..", Mikasa answered weakly, her voice quiet.

"Don't worry, the boys are making you some breakfast as we speak...oh! I got something to hold you off...", Sasha reached in her pocket.

Mikasa blinked softly, watching as Sasha pulled out a potato. "Here, you can have half sweetie", she broke it in half, and gave Mikasa the bigger piece.

Mikasa gently took it, she looked...surprised. She hadn't seen fresh produce in years. The most she ever got to eat when with her captors...was bread, and maybe soup. With the exception of the first man...who actually fed her well.

"What's wrong? Not a fan...?", asked Sasha gently. "No...I...love potatoes. I just...haven't seen one in years...", Mikasa explained weakly.

Sasha's face fell in horror at this statement. "I'll get you a whole sack!", she said. "Ah Sasha, wait...she can't eat too much too fast...she'll go into shock", Krista reminded her, worriedly.

Just as Krista said this, Mikasa pretty much devoured the potato half within a second, barely chewing it.

Both Krista and Sasha starred in shock...even Sasha didn't eat that quickly. Mikasa turned a bit red then, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry..I..", she said weakly. "Hey, it's okay...you most likely always had to eat your food fast where you were...maybe you were scared it would get taken away...", Sasha assured her kindly.

Mikasa gave a small, weak nod. "Exactly..", she admitted. Whenever she got any sort of food before, she was so starving for it...she'd eat it quickly. Plus she never knew when her next meal was, and she also never knew if her captor would change his mind and take it away from her.

She shifted a bit, and went to reach for more tea. "Oh, here sweetie", Krista got it for her, and helped her drink it.

Mikasa downed the cup, exhaling. Krista noticed the dark circles under the emaciated girl's eyes. "Trouble sleeping...your nightmares will do that. Hey, I know..!", she then reached in her bag.

Mikasa blinked, to see Krista pull out an old but soft teddy bear. "I had this since I was a little girl...but...I think you might need him more. His name is Sunshine", Krista explained, gently offering it to Mikasa.

Mikasa gazed at it, and suddenly her eyes lit up a bit. She took it, and hugged it tightly. She hadn't seen a toy or a stuffed animal since she was with her parents.

"T-Thank you...mommy..mommy used to...sew me stuffed animals...", she recalled, sniffling. Some tears sparkled in her eyes.

"Oh sweetie...", Sasha whispered worriedly, as Krista gently rubbed Mikasa's back. They knew...after all Mikasa has been through...she never even got a chance to mourn her own parents.

After a few moments, Mikasa slowly calmed down as she hugged the teddy bear close. She then wiped her eyes, and shifted again on the bed. She gently set the teddy bear on the pillow...as if making sure he was comfortable, like a child would do, and then went to sit up more.

"What is it, Mikasa? Do you need something..?", fussed Krista. Mikasa bit her lip, looking a bit flushed.

"I...um...need to use the bathroom...my bladder...is really weak", she replied softly. "Oh, its right there sweetie", Krista and Sasha helped Mikasa to her feet, and over to the bathroom that was attached to the room.

"We're right here, okay honey?", Sasha added, as Mikasa closed herself in the bathroom.

Krista and Sasha exchanged worried glances as they waited. "Her doctor...mentioned she had an injury..right?", asked Sasha anxiously.

Krista nodded worriedly. After being raped multiple times, Mikasa suffered a vaginal tearing that not only had got infected, but it was an extremely painful wound.

It would heal over time with antibiotics, but for now urinating would be an extremely painful process. After a few seconds of silence, they heard Mikasa whimpering in pain.

"Mikasa? Sweetie, do you need help?", asked Krista worriedly, softly knocking. When all she got in reply was a cry of pain, she looked at Sasha urgently.

"Go get her doctor, and Eren...I'll stay with her", she insisted. "Right..!", Sasha nodded fearfully, as she hurried out. Krista entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

When Sasha brought Eren and the doctor in, they were still in the bathroom. "Krista? Is she okay?", asked Eren fearfully, walking up to the door.

"She's really hurting...she needs quiet, okay? She needs to focus...", Krista replied through the door. Eren swallowed hard, worried.

"It's her vaginal tear...", the female doctor whispered quietly. The door was fairly thin, so they could actually hear Krista comforting Mikasa.

Inside the bathroom, Krista was actually holding her hand, kneeled at her side. "It's okay sweetie, take your time...whatever you do, don't force or rush it...it'll just hurt more if you do that...", she soothed gently and patiently.

Mikasa sniffled, in severe pain and a bit embarrassed. Hearing all this..made Eren's blood boil even more. She couldn't even pee on her own because of how much damage was done to her body.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...", Mikasa apologized, wincing in pain and gritting her teeth. "Don't apologize sweetie..its okay. Don't force it, okay? Just let it happen, and squeeze my hand when it hurts too much...", Krista assured her gently.

She spoke so maturely and sweetly to Mikasa...it comforted her greatly.

"Krista's amazing at this...", Armin commented softly, back in the bedroom. "I'll say...", Sasha agreed. By the time it was over, Mikasa was exhausted from how painful it was.

She was even dripping in sweat, and felt very heavy. "Easy...that's it...take it slow...", Krista helped her, and wiped her forehead, as the girls exited the bathroom.

"She's really worn out...", Krista said, seeing all their worried eyes. Eren quickly hurried over to help. "Easy...take it slow Mikasa", he soothed, as he and Krista helped her lay down. Mikasa leaned into him a bit, her eyes half closed.

The doctor decided to take a look, Eren turned away so Mikasa had privacy. "Her tear is healing...slowly but surely. That's a good sign sweetie, your body's starting to fight off the infection too", the doctor confirmed, relieved.

"However, until it heals, it will be painful to urinate...but you really need fluids in your system. You're dehydrated. I suggest ice chips, and someone should stay with her every night, for support", the doctor added worriedly.

Mikasa gave a weak nod. She got as comfortable as she could, and clutched the teddy bear close. After Krista and Sasha left the room with the doctor, Eren sat back at her bedside.

"That's a cute bear...did Krista give it to you?", he asked gently. "Mmhm...I haven't...held a stuffed animal since I was 9...", Mikasa confessed, cuddling it close.

Eren blinked softly, just noticing she was still wearing the red scarf he wrapped around her neck. "Hey, aren't you warm in that?", he asked her.

Mikasa shook her head. "No I...I'm really cold..and...you gave it to me, Eren", she gave a faint smile. Eren blinked...she had such a beautiful smile...even just a faint one.

"You gotta be hungry...", he offered her a plate of eggs and toast, with orange juice. Mikasa ate quite quickly, she was starving.

Although she ate a little too fast, and within a few minutes, it became obvious her sensitive tummy didn't like that. She felt her stomach heave, as she groaned. "E-Eren...I...I think I'm going to be sick..", she confessed.

"I had a bad feeling, here Mikasa...", Eren gently brought a bedpan over, and she began violently throwing up into it, her stomach emptying itself.

Eren gently sat next to her, holding the bedpan for her, and rubbing her back. He also gently held her hair out of the way as Mikasa coughed, vomiting some more.

"Easy..easy Mikasa, let it out..it's okay", Eren soothed her, rubbing her back. His eyes darkened..she was so sick...she had it all it seemed.

Pneumonia, vomiting, her tear, even bladder issues...not to mention the after effects of a miscarriage.

Mikasa coughed hard, and gasped for air as she finished. She collapsed onto her side, huffing for air. Eren froze, and felt her forehead. "Your fever's coming back..hang in there", he went to empty the bedpan, and hurried to make her some hot tea and medicine.

He returned moments later, and helped her sit up, propping her pillows against the headboard. Mikasa struggled a bit, her body weak.

"There we go...is that comfortable?", Eren asked her. Mikasa nodded weakly. "Here...", he helped her take medicine.

Mikasa drank the hot tea gratefully, this time she slowed down. She bit her lip when she finished it, swallowing hard.

"You okay...?", asked Eren worriedly. "I'm...so thirsty", she admitted, her throat bone dry. Eren quickly got her cold water, and she drank all of it.

"I'll go get your ice chips, hang tight", Eren got up, and exited the room. He broke up a bunch of bigger ice cubes in the kitchen, crushed them into chips, and put them in a cooler that would keep them frozen.

"How is she..?", asked Armin worriedly. "Not good..I'll be staying with her tonight", Eren answered, and he hurried back down the hall.

Armin exchanged a glance with Connie. They had never seen Eren like this...so invested in caring for someone else. He had also missed a whole day of training...and didn't seem to mind.

Training was the last thing on Eren's mind. Mikasa was set as his highest priority...and this was the longest he had gone without thinking of the titans.

When Eren re-entered Mikasa's bedroom, he stopped in his tracks and froze. He even stepped out, and slightly closed the door at what he just saw, some color reaching his face.

In the room, Mikasa was sitting up in her bed...she was holding her teddy bear like a newborn baby, and had even wrapped it in a blanket.

But the part that made Eren turn a bit red, and step out..was the fact her top was unbuttoned. Her breasts were exposed...and she appeared to be pretending to be nursing the teddy bear.

"She's...", a voice started, causing Eren to jump slightly, nearly dropping the cooler of ice chips, to see Krista was also standing in the hallway.

"Jesus, Krista...ghost much?", he whispered, his heart pounding. "Sorry...Mikasa's...she's actually lactating...", Krista revealed anxiously, speaking quietly.

Eren froze, turning pale. "While you were getting her ice, I came in to check on her...she admitted to me she noticed she was still producing milk...so to help her cope, I suggested she used the bear...", Krista explained softly.

"Why didn't she tell me...?", asked Eren worriedly. "It's a private girl thing...well..a mother thing. She maybe felt too embarrassed to tell you...she lost the baby, yes but...her body is still a bit confused...", Krista explained.

Eren swallowed hard. "You think...it will help her cope?", he asked. "I do...its actually a shame I didn't have a baby doll to give her", Krista admitted.

"Eren...? You can come in...", came Mikasa's voice from inside the room. Eren blinked, he nodded and entered slowly with the ice.

Mikasa had covered herself up, but she was still holding the teddy bear, she gently wiped the milk from its mouth.

Eren sat down at her bedside, as he watched her fuss over the teddy bear...like it was a real baby. He realized...it was a form of therapy to help her cope with the loss.

Mikasa blushed a bit at his gazing. "I'm sorry...this must...look so childish to you. I'm 14 after all..", she said, sheepishly.

"No, it's okay. Its not like...you went to school when with those sick bastards. Besides, its good therapy", Eren assured her.

Mikasa nodded softly, she cradled the teddy bear close.

"Hey..um...", Eren hesitated, unsure how to ask this question. Mikasa blinked weakly, listening. "I...um...are you...I mean..are they sore? Your...", he started to ask.

Mikasa turned a shade of pink as she understood. "Oh...yeah...a bit...but Krista said it would stop soon..so will the..lactating...once my body figures out...the baby's gone...", her voice came out a bit cracked.

Eren's eyes softened, worried. Mikasa's eyes sparkled with tears, as she cradled the teddy bear closer, shaking.

"I know its...weird. I know..I would never have been a good mother in my condition...but...it's not fair. My baby...deserved a chance...", she began to tremble hard, tears streaming down her face.

"Mikasa...", Eren's eyes grew worried...he realized she hasn't fully broken down yet about her miscarriage.

Mikasa cuddled her teddy bear even closer, sobbing softly into it. All of her mourning began to pile up. Mourning for her parents..and mourning for her child.

"M-Mommy...D-Daddy...I want..I want to see them...I miss them...so much...I want..", she sniffled, sobbing a bit louder, completely breaking down. Eren quietly and gently sat next to her, and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Mikasa buried her face into his chest, sobbing hard against it, as she gripped a handful of his shirt, her other arm holding her teddy bear.

Her delicate little body trembled like a leaf, as Eren stroked her hair soothingly. "I want my baby...I just...wanted to have my baby...!", she sobbed hard, her tears soaking his shirt.

"I know Mikasa...I know...", Eren stroked her hair softly, and very lightly pressed a comforting kiss to the top of her head. He felt his own eyelids grow heavy with tears...the longer this recovery went on, the more devastating it became at all she's been through.


	4. Choice

**Author's Note: I should point out, a lot of my 'research' on this stuff came from a lifetime movie that was heavily based on a true story, called "I know my name is Steven" about a young boy, roughly 6 to 8 years old, who was kidnapped and molested. He didn't escape until he was a teenager. I believe you can still watch it on Youtube. Also, FAIR WARNING, this chapter has a pretty graphic nightmare/memory. This is rated M for a reason after all.**

Three days had passed, Mikasa's recover remained slow..but miraculously, her immune system was kicking in, and she was finally fighting off her infection. She was also able to start eating a bit more, little by little.

However, it was still a very long time until she really started to show signs of any sort of mental recovery. It was extremely obvious at night, during her nightmares.

It was late at night, around 1 in the morning. Eren had fallen asleep sitting up in the chair, at Mikasa's bedside. It was his turn to watch over her.

Eren, Armin, Sasha and Krista decided to take turns, tomorrow it would be Sasha's turn. Mikasa turned onto her side, and began to curl up into a fetal position. She whimpered, grimacing a bit, as beads as sweat appeared under her bangs.

Her breathing was labored, as she experienced an intense nightmare...well, it was more like a memory, from when she was still only 9 years old. About three weeks after she was sold to the first pedophile.

 _Six Years Ago..._

Mikasa was curled up in bed. It was sunset, but she felt extra tired. It was still light outside, so no indoor lights were on.

It was actually a soothing lighting for the young girl. And despite who she was with...she was well taken care of.

She had food in her belly, water, and a big, warm bed to sleep on. She even had some toys he had bought for her.

Of course at the age of 9, little Mikasa didn't understand this yet..but this is how pedophiles manipulated extremely little kids.

They spoiled them, and it was almost like a sick bargain. As long as the child didn't put up a fuss with being molested, they got a home to live in, out of the cold, and away from thieves and murderers..and most of all..titans.

During the day..Mikasa felt safe. But...it was night she always dreaded. Once the sun went down, her captor went from a caring father like figure..to someone who frightened her. A man who touched her...and wouldn't stop no matter how uncomfortable it made Mikasa.

Mikasa...couldn't say he physically hurt her...but...she didn't like the feeling either. But today...would be different.

The door opened, and Mikasa sat up slightly, still wrapped in her blanket. He was home early...why? He never got home until after dark...today he looked a bit irritated.

"W-What's wrong?", asked Mikasa in a quiet voice. "Don't worry about it princess...just lost a card game..", he approached her, sitting beside her.

Mikasa felt herself tense up any time he sat in the same bed with her. She averted her gaze from him, as she felt his fingers run through her black hair.

"Your hair's growing out so long...", he whispered. Mikasa felt herself grow more uncomfortable..he was using that voice...he only used at night.

Then, he began to remove her blanket, and without much warning, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, laying down with her in the bed, spooning her.

Mikasa's body only tensed harder, as she closed her eyes tightly. She felt his hand trace down her thigh..and between her legs.

This only caused Mikasa to flinch uncomfortably, and whimper. "N-No...please...its too early...", she pleaded, tears sparkling in her eyes.

But...the worst part was, she couldn't fight it. Even if she had the strength to...where would she go if she escaped?

How would she eat? Where would she sleep? "What's the magic word princess..?", he asked her in a sick voice.

Mikasa closed her eyes tighter, not wanting to say it...she hated calling him this..it just...upset her deeply. For more than one reason.

"Please...", she pleaded again. "That's not it..", he growled, and then to her shock and horror, he touched her much harder and faster than usual.

It caused her to cry out...but it was in pain and fear. Her little legs kicked weakly, trying to escape his grasp...this time it actually hurt. It was a new feeling..and she didn't like it.

It was overstimulating...everything below the waist was contracting, and it caused the young girl to grip onto the sheets for dear life...wanting someone to just...burst through the door and save her.

"Well?", he snarled, growing impatient, only causing the young girl to shake harder in fear. She was unable to bite her tongue any longer...wanting him to just stop.

"P-Please daddy...please...no more..!", she pleaded in a small voice...she hated...calling him that. It only made her feel..dirty. Especially since...every time she said it..she thought back to her actual...real father.

Her real dad..who was gone..would never do this to her. When her real father stroked her hair, or held her hand..it felt gentle and loving...normal. He never...touched her in her private areas.

Even at such a young age, Mikasa knew...what was being done to her now wasn't normal..or right.

"I didn't hear you...", he growled. Mikasa whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "D-Daddy please...stop...STOP! PLEASE!", she screamed then, as she suddenly felt the overwhelming feeling between her legs grow..it got so intense she struggled to breathe, and her body shook.

She didn't understand what was happening to her...was she dying? Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, it felt like it may burst out, and she couldn't catch her breath, as he only went harder.

"Please...! Daddy I...something's...wrong! Stop..please..! I can't...I can't breathe..!", she gasped out, struggling harder, but her attempts were weak, as he only seemed to get off on this.

He kept whispering encouraging words to her..but she didn't understand what they meant...until finally...she felt her body reach its peak...and the feeling completely paralyzed her, as she screamed out painfully.

 _Present_

"MIKASA!", Eren was gently but urgently shaking Mikasa's shoulders, in an attempt to wake her. She was crying and screaming in her sleep, soaked in sweat.

Mikasa's eyes shot open, as she sat up, gasping for air, like she had been struggling to breathe. She looked around her surroundings urgently and fearfully, before finally seeing Eren.

"E-Eren...?", her voice came out hoarse and shaky. "Easy...you were having a nightmare..", Eren paused then, seeing Mikasa's body jerk uncontrollably slightly every few seconds.

"Shit, you're having tremors again...hang in there", he quickly got her a glass of water. Whenever Mikasa had a vivid nightmare, she suffered tremors, where her body would shake and jerk uncontrollably.

Mikasa drank the water slowly, still shaking badly. Eren rubbed her back soothingly, as she finished. "You...talked a bit too..", he mentioned then, once her breathing relaxed.

Mikasa froze up..she remembered what she dreamed and the memory. "Was it...about your parents deaths...? Your dad's..?", Eren asked her.

Mikasa's eyes widened, and she suddenly felt tears fill her eyes. She closed her eyes, averted her gaze. "No..", she shook her head, her voice cracked.

Eren blinked, confused at first. "I heard you..say 'Daddy' a few times...you were crying so...", Eren froze then, seeing her avert her gaze more.

He also noticed she closed her legs tightly as she sat, shaking badly. Then...it sunk in for him.

"Jesus Christ...", he whispered, in shock. Mikasa whimpered. "I...how could I..call him that? Just because...I had a bed and food? I should have NEVER...given him the pleasure...calling him that...I'm sure...my real dad...gone or not..is disappointed in me..and thinks I'm...a slut", she said then, shakily.

Eren figured she knew the word since several pedophiles used it...and most likely called her that. Her guilt...made his blood boil.

"Mikasa...!", he gently took her hand, and looked into her eyes. Mikasa looked at him, still trembling.

"It was NOT your fault. You were forced..you were manipulated. You are NOT a slut..don't EVER call yourself that...you were a child...that was kidnapped, orphaned and molested...okay? The only ones who should be feeling guilt and shame is the sick bastards who did this to you...", Eren growled.

Mikasa bit her lip. "I...I'm sorry Eren..I...", she stuttered a bit. "Hey, hey...", Eren's tone turned softer, worried. "Don't apologize...okay? You've been through so much Mikasa...", he assured her.

Mikasa gave a soft nod, as Eren looked down. He felt his blood boiling with each passing second...every day he learned more and more of what she's been through.

And it not only made him feel more regret for not saving her that day...but it made him want to murder the bastards who did this. Who put her through this physical and mental torture.

By the following morning, Eren had to attend ODM Gear training. He had fallen quite behind, not wanting to leave Mikasa's side.

It was late morning, and he was soaring through the trees with the others, cutting through the wooden titan platforms.

Shadis observed them from the ground, paying close attention to their movements. The superior blinked then, hearing a twig snap behind a nearby tree.

"Who's there?!", he ordered, and saw Mikasa flinch, hiding behind the tree. Shadis relaxed, and his hard expression turned to pity.

"Mikasa Ackerman..? You don't have to hide...it's okay", he assured her gently. Mikasa swallowed hard, taking a small step out from behind the tree. She glanced, watching Eren train.

"You should stay in bed...I heard about what happened to you", Shadis advised softly. Mikasa remained quiet.

She sat down, hugging her knees, leaning against the tree. Shadis looked down at the broken girl, a look of complete sympathy in his eyes.

'Poor girl...I can't even imagine what she's been through. It's a shame...she'd make a fine solider...', he thought. Even as broken and weak as Mikasa was...Shadis could see potential in her.

"Eren's training will be over in 10 minutes, do you plan on waiting?", he asked her. Mikasa again, silently nodded.

She was wearing the red scarf he had given her..and she had become very clingy to Eren. She felt safe when he was around.

After ten minutes went by, Eren landed on the ground. He blinked, seeing Mikasa. "Mikasa!", he hurried over to her away from the group, Shadis had left as well, giving the two a moment alone.

"Eren...I..I came to watch you train...", Mikasa explained, biting her lip.

"Mikasa...you should stay in bed! You're still hurt, and sick!", Eren pointed out, worriedly.

Mikasa blinked then, she suddenly looked uncomfortable..and then..to Eren's confusion..and horror..she got down on her knees.

"I...I'm sorry Eren...", she apologized. Eren's heart sunk, and his eyes widened in horror. She was..assuming a submissive position. Something that had been hammered into her brain by those sickos.

"M-Mikasa...!", Eren then took her hands gently, and pulled her up to her feet. "Don't do that...ever. You did nothing wrong...you're not a sex slave anymore, Mikasa...you don't have to put yourself through that...", Eren explained gently.

Mikasa swallowed hard, she gave a shaky nod. "I..I'm sorry Eren I just...I...when ever I feel like I'm getting scolded I...", she stumbled on her words.

"It's okay...it's not your fault. But..you should get back to bed. You're still not well..", Eren said softly, as Mikasa, on cue, coughed a bit.

Eren felt her forehead. "Just as I thought...you're burning up...let's hurry", he helped her back to the dormitories.

 _Four Months Later..._

Eren was standing outside the dormitory on the porch, gazing at the forest, deep in thought. Graduation was coming up very soon..in just a few days. He'd be sent on his first mission with the others...but...

Eren looked back inside, seeing Mikasa was sitting on her bed, holding her teddy bear, talking quietly with Sasha.

He would..have to leave Mikasa. She was in no state to become a solider right now...she was still mentally not well...and physically she just now was finally almost recovered.

Her vaginal infection was nearly gone, and her pneumonia was also over. She had also stopped lactating...but...mentally she was still not in a stable place.

Her nightmares still occurred, and she was still very jumpy and fearful. So far, her submissive behavior had toned down..but it still happened once in a while.

She had become hysterical when she accidentally dropped a glass and broke it. It took 15 minutes for Krista to calm her down.

Eren had been training for three years to join the Scouts, and destroy every last titan..avenge his mother. But...if he did that...he'd have to leave Mikasa behind.

She would be safe of course, taken in by a family...but...Eren and the other trainees were her family now. They were all she knew.

And it's been that way for four months. Leaving her now..it would..most likely set her back greatly in the slow mental recovery she was going through.

"Thinking about graduation?", Armin asked softly, as he approached Eren. Eren didn't answer, looking down.

"She'll be safe you know...with people who can take care of her", Armin pointed out. Eren's eyes darkened.

He knew he had to break the news to her...no matter how painful.

That evening, Mikasa was resting in bed, she was hugging her teddy bear close to her chest. Eren quietly entered the room, biting his lip.

"Mikasa...", he sat at her bedside. "Yeah Eren...?", asked Mikasa, her voice small.

"Listen...well, in four days..I'm graduating. I'll be joining the Survey Corps...", Eren revealed. Mikasa starred at him, she blinked then.

"Wait...you mean...to fight the titans? Outside the walls?", she asked. Mikasa had never seen a titan her entire life..but she had heard about the gate in Wall Maria being kicked in.

Because she was isolated by her captors in corners of Wall Rose, and Wall Sina, she never experienced the horror of the titans.

"Yes...it's something I need to do. But...you can't come along. It's...too dangerous. Only soldiers can face the titans..", Eren went on.

Mikasa tensed up, her eyes widened a bit. "Y-You're...leaving me behind?", she asked him, her voice cracked. Eren's heart broke at her horrified expression, he averted his gaze.

"I...don't have a choice, Mikasa...you'll be safe. A family will take you in and-", Eren started, but Mikasa cut him off.

"NO!", Mikasa then clung to Eren for dear life, gripping onto his arm, sobbing. "M-Mikasa..!", Eren froze.

"No...NO! Please..! Eren...don't leave me! I'm begging you...I..I don't know..anyone outside of this place! What if..I end up with them again?! They'll find me...I know they will...", Mikasa flinched then, getting flashbacks.

"Don't leave me..!", Mikasa broke down, shaking badly, having severe tremors, as she clung onto Eren for dear life, her nails practically digging into his arm.

"Mikasa...", Eren had gone quiet, as she sobbed uncontrollably. His eyes softened...he couldn't leave her.

She wouldn't stand a chance if he did...he looked down, and as he did, his key fell out of his shirt. Mikasa blinked tearfully, seeing it.

"W-What is this..?", she asked, her voice still shaky. "My dad gave it to me...he told me...with it I could find the truth..behind the titans", Eren replied softly.

Mikasa looked at him with tearful eyes. She had just realized..she never asked Eren about his own family.

"E-Eren...where...are your parents?", she asked. Eren gently reached for a tissue on the nightstand, and wiped her eyes, seeing her face was soaked in tears.

"I don't know where my dad is...but...my mom..she..she was eaten by a titan. I was saved by Hannes, a member of the Garrison...but...", Eren looked down grimly.

Mikasa's heart sunk, as her eyes filled with horror, but she continued to listen.

"I..was such a brat back then. We always fought...she always got angry at me for being reckless...I..can't even imagine what she'd say if she knew I was thinking of joining the Survey corps..I was at least able to keep that much from her...dad knew about my lust for freedom, so he gave me the key...", Eren's eyes darkened.

"I always ran away...I never..told her that I loved her..even though she was my mom..", he clenched his fists, shaking furiously, tears appearing in his eyes.

Mikasa's eyes softened, an expression of deep sympathy in her eyes. "She was trapped under wreckage..her legs were crushed...I wasn't..strong enough to save her...", he continued.

Mikasa swallowed hard...the feeling..reminded her of herself. All those years ago...when her mom was killed..and her dad..

Eren blinked, noticing fresh tears in Mikasa's eyes. "I..know the feeling...before Mommy was killed...she..was begging me to run...and I just..", Mikasa's eyes filled with heavy tears then, as she trembled badly.

"I just...I just STOOD THERE! Like...some stupid kid! I had a chance to help Mommy..and I just...stood there..!", she broke down.

"Mikasa...hey..", Eren very gently cupped her cheek then. Mikasa sniffled, looking at him. "Mikasa, you were a child...you were frightened and confused. You had no way of knowing what to do...don't ever blame yourself for their deaths. Ever", Eren told her gently but firmly.

Mikasa looked down, she then wiped her eyes. "So..if you...go after the titans...you can avenge your mom's death?", she asked him then.

"Yeah that's...that's right. And..I want humanity to have a life outside of these walls...freedom", Eren explained. Mikasa's eyes softened...as someone who was caged for six years...she knew just how he felt about that.

"I'm so sorry Eren...all this time..I haven't even thought about what you were giving up, to take care of me...", she said then. Eren blinked, looking at her.

"So...in that case..I'm going to join", Mikasa took his hands then. Eren's eyes widened at this. "Mikasa...! No! It's too dangerous!", he protested.

"I have to Eren! I...can't be away from you. You, Krista, Sasha, Armin...you're...all I got left. And it would be selfish of me to expect you to just throw away years of training for me...you saved my life Eren, you gave me a second chance...so...let me return the favor", Mikasa pleaded.

Eren hesitated...if she did this..it would take another three years but..he'd still graduate. Once she graduated at 17, they'd be able to finally join the Survey Corps together.

"Mikasa...this isn't going to be easy. You're...going to have to go through ruthless training...", Eren reminded her.

"I know..and I'm prepared to go through anything. I've..already been through hell. Nothing could be worse than that...", Mikasa reminded him, looking down.

Eren's eyes darkened. "Mikasa...you know I'll never leave your side right? I'll be there for you..no matter how dangerous or tough it gets...", he promised her.

"Eren...I promise..I'll try my hardest. I'll work my hardest, so we can stay together, and all your hard work won't be for nothing", Mikasa promised him.

Eren smiled softly, as he sighed. "You're...really amazing, you know that?", he said. Mikasa blinked, tilting her head.

"After everything you've been through..you're still strong willed. That's..incredible", Eren explained. Mikasa looked down softly.

"I think..I need this. I need the distraction...I'd rather be outside, running and learning all of that...rather than sitting in bed all day..with my thoughts...", she admitted grimly.

"Okay...then it's a plan", Eren gently squeezed her hands, as Mikasa nodded softly. Eren was worried about this...she had been through so much after all..but..a part of him also realized..maybe she did need this.

To help her move on and recover mentally. It was going to be tough on her, but he was going to be there to support her...and protect her, no matter what.


	5. Test

**Author's Note: Hey guys, I am SO sorry this went on a few month hiatus! I got distracted with Terror In Tokyo, but if I'm honest, this is a story I don't want to abandon, and have been started to work on a visual novel for, on my channel. Thank you all so much for your patience**

Eren and Mikasa stood in Shadis's office, it was mostly dark in the room, with light coming in from the window. They had just finished requesting Mikasa's enrollment to him.

Shadis was silent for the longest moment, as he starred at Mikasa. Despite originally agreeing, Eren still felt on edge about this.

Even though Mikasa had physically healed for the most part, she was still severely emotionally damaged. It didn't take much to set her off, so he knew this would be tough on her.

Shadis gave a deep sigh. "I'll be honest with you Ackerman, I can't go easy on you training. I know you've been through a lot...frankly most sergeants would turn you away the minute they read your medical records...", he started.

"I understand sir", Mikasa said. Eren glanced at her, he never heard Mikasa speak with such...confidence before. It was a bit mind numbing for him, and he didn't fully get where it came from. Her voice almost sounded different.

"Its going to be months of tough training...but I will admit, I feel like you have serious potential, the fact you're still alive after the sick shit you went through, alone is startling", Shadis continued.

"So then..she's in, sir?", asked Eren. Shadis frowned at Eren. He sighed, and stood up. Eren and Mikasa watched him, as Shadis grabbed Eren by both sides of his head and lifted him up.

"JAEGER! Did you learn NOTHING from training?! Only speak when spoken to! This is Ackerman's appointment, NOT yours!", Shadis roared, as he dropped Eren to the floor.

"Y-Yes sir, sorry sir!", Eren scrambled to his feet as Mikasa flinched a bit from the sudden high volume. Shadis looked at her, his expression slightly softening.

"That's the very first thing you need to get used to Ackerman, loud sounds. If you can't handle high volumes of any kind, it won't work, understood?", Shadis asked her firmly.

Mikasa swallowed hard, but she nodded. "Yes sir" she answered. Shadis nodded. "Alright, you start training at first light, 5 AM sharp", he said.

Mikasa nodded, as she and Eren left his office and went outside. It was dusk at this point, creating an orange glow in the sky.

As soon as they were outside, Mikasa exhaled, trembling a bit. "Mikasa...hey, are you all right?", asked Eren worriedly, as he gently took her hand.

"Yeah...", she nodded. She did feel shaky still from Shadis's thundering voice, but she was determined to adjust. "I...have to admit, I was surprised. You held your own pretty well in there...I think you impressed him as well", Eren confessed.

Mikasa's eyes softened a bit. "I've never...seen you speak so confidently..", he added, a bit stunned. Mikasa remained quiet for a few moments, as she gripped a piece of her scarf.

"I have to stay strong...even if its just on the outside. Its the only way we can stay together, Eren", she reminded him.

"Mikasa...", Eren looked down worriedly...he didn't want Mikasa to put herself through anything that would be hard on her...but he also knew if they had to be separated, it wouldn't be good.

Mikasa could never adjust to a random foster family, she just wouldn't make it. She only knew the trainees here, they were her family now.

That night, Mikasa had gone to bed fairly early, since she knew she had to be awake at first light. She slept, curled up in a fetal position in bed.

Sasha watched over her, worried with Krista. "I noticed she...always sleeps in that position...", Krista commented worriedly. Sasha gently tucked Mikasa in, nodding.

"It makes a lot of sense, she's still traumatized, and that's never going to leave... ", she said softly. Mikasa gripped her blanket tightly, she was tense in her sleep.

She always slept curled up in a tight fetal position, due to the fact a lot of the times she was molested, or even raped, was in her sleep.

So in her mindset, curled up like this made her feel a bit more protected and secure.

Out in the kitchen area, Eren and Armin were sitting at the table with tea. Armin finished pouring it for them.

"So Shadis is going to start training her in the morning?", he asked. Eren seemed deep in thought as he gazed down at his tea.

His thoughts were conflicting heavily with each other, he saw how badly Mikasa flinched at Shadis's voice...he knew she was only going through with this so they could stay together.

He realized she was _that_ attached to him. But he also knew how much she had been through, and no one could fully bounce back from that.

"Eren?", asked Armin, snapping him out of his thoughts. Eren blinked. "Oh, sorry Armin...", he drank some of his tea.

"You're worried about Mikasa...I don't blame you, Shadis is gonna be tough, like he was on all of us", Armin said softly.

Eren frowned a bit worriedly. "Armin...this..I don't want to put her through this...", he started, a bit shakily. Armin blinked.

"The only reason she's putting herself through this, is so she can stay by my side...she shouldn't be joining the army, she should be somewhere where she can HEAL, emotionally...", Eren growled.

"I know...but she wants to stay with you. We can't force her to stay behind, it would...devastate her, and even set her back in her recovery", Armin reminded him.

Eren glared, frustrated...why did the world have to be so cruel to her? After seeing her parents murdered, and going through all of that sexual abuse...for years...and now the only way she can stay with him, is to go through horrid training...if only the titans hadn't broke through the wall, Eren wouldn't stay in the military...if his mother was still alive...

As Mikasa slept soundly in her bedroom, she groaned a bit, as she started to sink into another nightmare. Her nightmares refused to ease up, no matter how much time passed.

Her nightmare, once again resembled more of a memory...a memory of the night she finally escaped the sick pedophile she was with...

 _8 Months Ago..._

It was a cold night, though Mikasa had no way of knowing what kind of night it was. She didn't even...know what season or month it was. Was it winter...? Summer..? No...it felt too cold to be summer...

She was laying, curled up in the walk in closet that her captor kept her locked in. The air was stale, and she couldn't remember the last time she had any food or water.

Her mouth was bone dry, and the searing pain between her legs wouldn't let up. The smell of infection was so strong in the small, dark space that it was unbearable.

Because she had been going for so long without food, she had been throwing up often, though because there was quite literally nothing in her stomach, it was just water that came up.

But...then again, that wasn't entirely true. There was something in her stomach...a baby. A very small, very weak unborn baby. Mikasa realized she was pregnant just a few days ago...she wasn't sure how far along she was, she just knew she had a small bump.

She didn't even understand what it was until her captor pointed it out a few days ago. But now that she understood what was happening, she had been collecting her thoughts the passed few days...she was scared, so very scared.

But...she had to try and escape. She had never even considered it before, because of the simple reason...where would she go?

But...with each new pedophile who bought her, her treatment got worse and worse. At least if she escaped, she could breathe fresh air, and drink water from a creek.

She spent most of her days locked in this horrible closet, trapped with the smell of her own infected injury, her knees laying in her own watery vomit.

She rarely got food or water...maybe once week? And when she was let out, it was only to use the bathroom, which urinating was a unbelievably painful process with her injury, or it was to be raped.

Which was even more painful, and she wasn't sure how many more 'sessions' she could survive.

But...now that she wasn't alone, now that she was carrying a baby, another life within her, she knew she HAD to escape. She finally had something she hasn't had in years...a purpose. A reason. She didn't want her baby to suffer the same way she had.

She placed a hand over her small belly, as she sat up weakly. She grimaced, hissing in pain from her injury, every little movement was difficult.

She reached up and grabbed one of the coat hangers. She bent the top of it like a key, and began forcing it into the door's keyhole.

She held her breath, shaking from head to toe, knowing if she woke HIM...it would be over. But...she couldn't stay here anymore.

She moved the coat hanger around a bit more rapidly, but it was taking forever. She released a small sob, for a brief second thinking it was hopeless...but then, she heard a click.

Her heart dropped, and she felt herself turn paler than she already was, if that was even possible. She gripped the wall, and struggled to pull herself to her feet.

She groaned weakly, the pain searing between her legs. She slowly, so very slowly and quietly, turned the doorknob. As the door began to open, she looked, to see he was asleep in bed.

She gave a very shaky exhale, and then held her breath, as she forced the door open a few more inches.

Her heart was beating a million miles a second, and she was sure she'd have a heart attack if this went on for too long.

She slowly exited the closet, taking careful silent steps. She moved so slowly, passed his bed, as he remained asleep.

She looked at the window, and very carefully unlocked it, and then began to try and open it.

'Oh no...', she paused, feeling herself go tense...it was stuck. It wouldn't budge no matter how hard she pulled. Panic surged through her, but she took a deep breath, and tried again.

She pulled hard, gritting her teeth tightly, trying to bite back any grunts of effort, needing to stay as silent as possible.

She pulled harder, and finally after an agonizing few seconds, the window flew open, making a loud noise, as Mikasa released a small whimper of fear and surprise, but then covered her mouth quickly, shaking badly.

She glanced behind her...he had moved a bit, but he was still asleep. She continued to hold her breath, sweating at this point. She then carefully lifted one leg over the ledge, and began climbing out.

It was luckily a one floor cabin, and the drop down wasn't too bad. She lifted her other leg out, and then jumped down.

She landed on her knees, and then she quickly scrambled to her feet, and ran. She ran as fast as her weak, broken body could take her.

The very first thing she noticed...was the amazing fresh air her lungs were taking in. She couldn't remember the last time she had breathed in fresh air...and everything around her looked so gorgeous.

The full moon, the trees, the grass, the rocks, and the nearby river she could see. But she knew she couldn't relax yet, she ran faster, and crossed the shallow part of the river, across it was a deep forest.

As she made it across, and went to pull herself back onto land, her long nightgown soaked, she cried out, gritting her teeth painfully as a sharp searing pain gripped her abdomen, and it caused her to collapse onto her knees.

She was in too much pain to think, as she only grimaced harder, clutching her belly, as she dug her hands into the ground tightly.

The pain had caused her to break out into a hard sweat, as she very weakly opened her eyes. She panted deeply, and pulled her legs out of the water, and sat down for a brief moment on the grass.

She placed both hands on her small belly...something felt different. Her skin felt hard, and strained...she didn't understand what, but something was happening.

Before she could collect her thoughts or even catch her breath, the young girl cried out loudly in pain, unable to contain it, as the pain returned, twice as bad as last time.

She gripped her belly, grimacing, curling up a bit. Once it ended, she gasped for air, sweat dripping from her forehead.

As she tried to collect her thoughts, her heart sunk as she realized something. Was...was it time? Was her baby coming already?

'Oh god...now..? Already...?', she thought, her throat was too sore to speak aloud. She looked around her surroundings, she had to get somewhere safe...somewhere not so exposed.

She managed to pull herself up to her feet, and entered the deep forest. She walked for several moments, but she kept having to stop to breathe as she felt another sharp pain grip her body.

Finally, she came to a small clearing in the forest, and saw a large cave. She hurried to it, passing some bushes on her way, and ran inside.

She wasn't able to make it far in without staggering down, another sharp pain gripping onto her. She collapsed down onto her knees, slightly hidden behind a rock inside the cave.

She took several deep breaths, blowing air out, the pain increasing...she felt herself panic, not even knowing... _how_ to have her baby. She didn't know what to do, all she could do is breathe and let the pain consume her.

As another sharp pain seized her, she suddenly her footsteps at the cave's entrance, and she held her breath in terror.

 _Present_

Mikasa awoke, hearing a voice calling her name. "Mikasa! Sweetie, is almost 5!", it was Sasha's voice. She was softly shaking Mikasa's shoulder to wake her.

Mikasa's eyes opened more, as she sat up, her blanket slightly falling off. She realized she was covered in sweat, and she was trembling.

"Nightmares...?", asked Sasha worriedly. Mikasa gave a silent nod. "What..what time is it Sasha?", she asked, out of it. She really didn't have a restful sleep.

"It's 4:40", Sasha replied. Mikasa's eyes widened a bit, as she woke up fully. "Oh, I gotta hurry!", she cried, as she got out of bed, and hurried to get a shower.

"I'll leave your clean clothes here, Mikasa", Sasha assured her. Mikasa got her shower quickly, and once she got dressed and her hair brushed, she left the dormitory, and saw Eren waiting for her.

"Hey sleepyhead, we better hurry", Eren said, giving her a soft smile. "I'm sorry Eren! I...I didn't sleep well and...", Mikasa started, shaking a bit.

"Hey, Mikasa...you don't have to apologize, okay?", Eren reminded her gently, taking her hand. Mikasa remained tense, but she nodded.

The two exited the building, and headed to the training ground where Shadis was waiting. It was now exactly 5 AM.

"I'm here sir!", Mikasa stopped in front of him, panting a bit heavily. "You're 30 seconds late, Ackerman", Shadis pointed out.

"I'm sorry sir...I'm so sorry, I didn't sleep well", Mikasa explained quickly, she was already nervous. Eren noticed, as he gently squeezed her hand.

"It's alright, you're here, that's what matters. You're more on time than certain other trainees", he commented, referring to Connie and Sasha.

"I'm sorry again sir, it won't happen again", Mikasa insisted. "Relax...Jaeger", Shadis turned to him. "Yes sir?", asked Eren.

"I want you to quit playing babysitter, and go stand over there. If she's going to learn, she can't have you holding her hand 24/7. She needs to learn how to protect herself", Shadis told him firmly.

Eren swallowed hard, nervous about leaving her side. Mikasa gave his hand a gentle, assuring squeeze. "I'll be okay Eren" she promised him.

"Alright...", Eren nodded, as he started to walk off the field. "Wait", Shadis said then, sharply.

"Uh, yes sir?!", asked Eren, flinching a bit at the sharpness of his voice. "Kindly fix Ackerman's straps please", Shadis ordered then.

Eren blinked, but then noticed her shoulder straps weren't quite on right, she was wearing the trainee uniform, with the brown jacket and all.

"Oh, I thought they went on this way...", Mikasa blushed slightly, embarrassed. "It's alright Mikasa, here...", Eren adjusted them properly for her.

He realized Shadis asked Eren to do it, because Shadis knew Mikasa wouldn't have been comfortable with him doing it. She felt most comfortable with Eren.

"There..", Eren finished adjusting. "Thank you..", Mikasa blushed a bit. Eren smiled, and walked off of the field, but decided to stay and watch.

"Now, listen carefully Ackerman. I want to run a test special for you, to make sure your body can endure what the war demands. Your body has been greatly damaged by those sick fucks who had you...as soon as I fire this gun off, I want you to run there...", he pointed, a good 100 feet away to a 20 feet tall wall.

There was a standing platform on the top, and two wooden poles on either side of it.

"I want you to climb that wall, and when you get to the top, engage your ODM Gear, attach yourself to those poles, and swing to the ground, can you do that Ackerman?", Shadis asked her.

"Wait a minute, she hasn't even practiced balancing on her ODM gear!", Eren yelled then, worried for her.

"Ackerman is joining our ranks late in this game, Jaeger. We don't have time to start her off with the basics", Shadis shot back firmly.

"This is bullshit! That thing is a death trap! She's going to get hurt!", Eren growled, protectively.

"Eren, I can do it", Mikasa piped in then. Eren looked at her, horrified. "Mikasa, you don't have to...", he started.

"Yes I do...if it means staying with you and the rest, I have to", Mikasa told him. Eren fell quiet, but he sweat dropped, nervous about this.

"Alright Ackerman...ready?", Shadis asked, pointing his gun to the sky. Mikasa nodded. Shadis squeezed the trigger, and the gun went off.

The sound made Mikasa flinch, but she sprinted towards the wall. She ran the 100 feet, and once she reached the wall, she began climbing.

She made it up halfway, but then she winced, and lost her grip, falling to the ground. "Mikasa!", Eren yelled fearfully, about to run to her side, but Shadis held his arm out, blocking him.

Mikasa pulled herself up, having a bruise on her arm. "Again Ackerman!", Shadis ordered. Mikasa glared, she gripped the wall, and began to climb again.

Once she reached halfway up, her shoulders started to hurt again and she paused. "MOVE IT ACKERMAN! You're climbing a wall to escape the grasp of titans! You freeze, you're eaten!", Shadis roared then.

Mikasa gripped the wall tightly, and she managed to pull herself up higher with a grunt. She struggled to get up even higher, as Eren paced back and fourth, not liking this.

"That's it, faster!", Shadis ordered. Mikasa grunted painfully, as she finally managed to pull herself to the top of the wall.

She caught her breath for a second, standing on the platform, and seeing the two wooden poles she had to engage her ODM Gear on.

"Now, engage your gear!", Shadis ordered. Eren held his breath, knowing this wasn't a good idea.

Mikasa took a shaky breath, and engaged her gear. She leaped off the platform, but both of her cables didn't reach the poles, and she hit the ground hard.

"MIKASA! THAT'S ENOUGH!", Eren ran over to her side, as Shadis followed. Mikasa cried out a bit painfully, as Eren carefully lifted her into a sitting position.

"Are you hurt?!", asked Eren fearfully, as Mikasa gripped her wrist. "I think its sprained...", she admitted, wincing.

"That's enough Mikasa, you're done...", Eren started. "So that's it?", Shadis piped in. Mikasa looked at him.

"Ackerman, if you quit now, you're finished", Shadis told her. "She's hurt!", Eren growled, protectively.

"NO ONE gets special treatment here Eren! How many times did Sasha hurt herself? Or Krista? You didn't show near as much concern!", Shadis pointed out.

"That's entirely different! Mikasa's been through hell, and now you expect her to master this insane death trap?!", Eren shouted back.

Mikasa looked down, stubbornly. "Again...", she muttered then. "What..?", Eren paused, looking at her.

"I said again...I want to try again", Mikasa answered, looking at him. Eren's eyes widened in horror. "Mikasa...wait...", he started, but she pulled herself to her feet.

Shadis watched her, impressed. Mikasa took a shaky breath, and ran back towards the wall. She began to climb it, but she winced, hissing in pain from her injured wrist.

It hurt badly, but she managed to climb back up to the top. She panted, and then engaged her gear. She leaped off the platform, but once again, the gear didn't hook into the poles and she landed hard on the ground.

"Mikasa..!", Eren started, but Shadis made him stay back. Mikasa lifted herself up, after groaning in pain. Her entire body already felt sore and battered, but she stood up.

"Again..", she growled, as she went back to the wall. After another painful climb, she engaged her gear once more, and leaped down.

This time, one of the gear ends hooked, but the other didn't, causing Mikasa to only glide momentarily, before hitting the ground hard, scratching her knees.

Eren placed his hands to his forehead, he couldn't keep watching this. "Mikasa...please...", he started, but then, she stood back up.

"Again...", she said once more. "Mikasa, stop it! You're in no shape to keep doing this! You'll break every bone in your body if you keep trying!", Eren yelled, worriedly.

"Eren, I can do this!", Mikasa snapped at him, as she sprinted back towards the wall. Shadis watched her, amazed at her stubbornness. He had never met someone as stubborn as she was.

Mikasa climbed back up, and as she reached the top, once again, she engaged her gear and leaped down, but neither hooked tightly enough, and she hit the ground hard once again.

This time, her body rolled a few feet and her back hit one of the poles. She cried out loudly in pain, not moving at first.

"Shit! MIKASA!", Eren ran over to her, as he attempted to help her up. "Where are you hurt? Show me", he started, but she pulled herself up.

"I'm fine", she insisted, despite the severe pain in her back. "Mikasa, ENOUGH! You're just hurting yourself!", Eren yelled, frustrated at this point.

"Eren, I can do this! I just...I need you to believe that I can...", Mikasa snapped back, wincing. She made another sprint for the wall, and climbed up.

Eren stood back, but he paced, unable to take this anymore. Mikasa made it to the top of the platform. She panted heavily, drenched in sweat.

Her entire body was bruised and battered, her wrist broken, her knees cut open and she was sure she did some kind of damage to her back.

But she glared, determined. She engaged her gear, and ran off the platform, leaping. Finally, both of her gear ends hooked tightly into the poles, allowing her to glide perfectly through the air, and onto the ground with ease.

She landed easily, returning her cables back into her gear. Eren starred in complete shock, and even Shadis looked amazed.

Mikasa panted, worn out, as both Eren and Shadis came over. "Mikasa...holy shit...you did it..!", Eren gawked, as he knelt down at her side.

"That was incredible...god damn incredible", Shadis said. Mikasa panted, wincing in pain, as Eren helped her to her feet.

"So...I did it..?", she asked. "You made the cut, Ackerman. Go get cleaned up and rest your injuries. Report back here tomorrow morning for a full day of training", Shadis told her.

Mikasa's eyes widened in relief and shock, and she looked at Eren. "Mikasa...you scared me to death but...he's right, you did amazing", he smiled at her gently. Mikasa exhaled shakily, as she leaned weakly against Eren, as he took her inside to tend to her injuries.


	6. Awakening

"MOVE IT ACKERMAN! COME ON! Your ODM Gear's broken, and all you can do is run until you reach higher ground!", Shadis roared.

It was the first week of training, and a very hot summer day. They were training in the field, and Mikasa had to spent the first day running to build her strength.

She had already been running for an hour, she wore her uniform, but her scarf was removed, due to the heat. Even without it, she was dripping in sweat as she sprinted as fast as she could.

The sun was beating down hard, and the temperatures were high, but she continued to run, her hair breezing through the wind.

"Good job Ackerman, don't give up yet! Higher ground is just ahead!", Shadis ordered, as Mikasa saw saw a high, 30 meter high platform with a ladder to climb.

Standing at the top of it was Eren, Armin and Sasha. Eren was holding Mikasa's scarf, looking worried while Sasha was cheering.

"COME ON MIKASA! You can do it!", Sasha cheered. "BRAUS! This isn't a cheerleading squad!", barked Shadis.

"Would you rather I eat potatoes, sir?!", Sasha yelled back at him, since she was on a high platform. Shadis's eye twitched, and he sighed, letting her off.

Panting, Mikasa ran faster, as she reached the ladder. She struggled to catch her breath for a moment, but then she began climbing.

After several seconds, she reached the top, pulling herself up. "Mikasa!", Eren knelt down quickly as she collapsed into his warms, soaked in sweat, and completely out of breath.

"Get her some water, Armin!", Sasha said worriedly, as Armin quickly brought a bottle of water over. "Here Mikasa, drink slowly...", Eren helped her as she drank, downing the entire bottle.

Mikasa gasped for air once she finished. "You did amazing Mikasa! It took me three hours to finish this test!", Sasha said kindly.

"Hey, you all right Mikasa..?", asked Eren, worried for her. "Yeah...I'm fine...I just haven't run that far before...", Mikasa assured him, breathlessly.

"Great job Ackerman! Get your breath back, and then join the others on the combat grounds", Shadis said.

After Mikasa got her energy back, they arrived at the combat training grounds. "Jaeger, its your job to train Ackerman to fight in combat, don't screw it up. Remember everything you've learned", Shadis said firmly, as he left them to it.

"Combat...as in defensive training?", asked Mikasa.

Eren swallowed hard, looking nervous all of a sudden. "Eren...?", asked Mikasa softly. "The thing is, you have to learn how to fight properly...but...", he fell quiet, looking at her.

She was still so fragile, even though she was mostly back to a normal weight, and all her injuries were healed, she still seemed so delicate to him.

There was no way in hell he could go hard on her, not after everything she's been through.

"Mikasa, I don't want to hurt you...", he started. "Eren, I'll be okay...its part of training, so we have to do it...", Mikasa promised him.

"Yeah but...", Eren bit his lip, still hesitant. "Eren...", Mikasa took his hand then. Eren froze, feeling some color reach his cheeks.

"I trust you, Eren", Mikasa assured him, with a smile. Eren felt stunned for a moment, at how much she trusted him...then again, he did save her life.

But at the same time, he knew how much she had been through...he also knew how rough he could be during training.

The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her, physically or emotionally. He took a deep breath.

'This hand to hand combat training is useless anyway, just like Annie said...she doesn't really need it...she doesn't have to know. I'll go easy on her. No one has to know', he decided then in his mind.

"Alright Mikasa, come at me first", he said. Mikasa blinked, a little taken aback. "Come at you..how?", she asked.

"Just do what feels right! Its fine!", Eren assured her. Mikasa hesitated, something didn't feel right about this, but she went along with it.

She lifted her fist, and went to throw a punch at Eren. It did hit his arm, but it wasn't a very strong effort since he wasn't training her right.

But, Eren faked a wince of pain and staggered back a bit. "Whoa, not bad Mikasa!", he grinned. "Really..? It didn't feel like much of an impact", Mikasa admitted.

"No, it was great! Okay, let's go again!", Eren pressed. Mikasa hesitated, but then she threw another punch. She hit Eren in the other shoulder this time, and again he faked a wince.

"Eren, you're not even trying to dodge", Mikasa noticed. "Oh, well yea! I'm training you and you gotta build up your energy, so I don't have to really dodge", Eren explained.

"Are you kidding me?", a cold voice sneered. Eren blinked, as he and Mikasa saw Annie approaching them.

"Annie? What are you doing here? Your training's over", Eren commented.

"Is this really your idea of training her, Eren? You're going to get this girl killed", Annie snapped then. Mikasa froze up, and she looked at Eren.

"She's been through a lot Annie, I'm not gonna just throw punches at her", Eren growled.

"Pathetic, you're pampering her like some Princess...she isn't going to learn shit like this. You might as well be playing house", Annie sneered.

"Annie, what the hell are you even getting at?! You're the one who told me this hand to hand combat was bullshit!", Eren growled.

"It IS bullshit, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't learn to really fight. Besides...", Annie glared at Mikasa.

"You're real enemy isn't the titans, I heard your story. You come from a black market of sex slaves, right? You most likely never even saw a titan in your life, you don't even know they're true horror, you're oblivious, you just spent your days sucking guys off day and night", Annie said then, coldly.

Mikasa's eyes suddenly darkened a bit, as she turned white, her heart racing, as she suddenly got a very foggy flashback for a split second, from when she was with the second pedophile...

"SHUT THE HELL UP ANNIE!", Eren roared then, as he went to throw a punch at her. Mikasa's eyes widened, seeing how much strength Eren was putting into it.

But despite how strong he looked, Annie glared and suddenly kicked Eren, knocking him to the ground with her technique.

Mikasa snapped out of it slightly, seeing Annie had Eren pinned tightly to the ground, strangling him. "Annie..GET OFF!", Eren struggled hard, but she kept him pinned.

Mikasa's eyes widened then, seeing Eren continuing to struggle hard, she also noticed his face turning blue from Annie's strangling...and the longer it dragged out, the clearer her flashback became.

It caused Mikasa to shake badly, seeing Eren...the person who saved her from the cruel life she endured for so long, being hurt like this...it struck something within Mikasa.

No...she wouldn't let Eren suffer in the same way she did. She couldn't let anyone she cared about suffer...not when she's been through it herself.

As Eren's face turned more and more blue, as he started to choke and wheeze, struggling to breathe while Annie only tightened her grip over his throat, Mikasa suddenly felt something spark in her brain, as her body relaxed...she no longer felt tense or afraid.

For the first time...she had total control of her body. She glared dangerously, clenching her fists.

"Let him go...", she growled at first. Annie glanced slightly up at Mikasa, and her eyes widened slightly, noticing the girl's entire stance had changed.

"I SAID LET HIM GO!", Mikasa suddenly yelled, and without warning, she grabbed Anne by her hairbun, and lifted her with unbelievable strength.

Eren's eyes widened, seeing Mikasa throw Annie completely over her, and then slam her hard to the ground, dust flying off the ground from the intense impact.

Mikasa kept Annie pinned tightly to the ground, as Annie froze, her expression changing to shock at the sudden change.

"I swear to God Annie...if you touch him ever again...I'll run you THROUGH!", Mikasa snarled, as she suddenly drew her blade, and pressed it against Annie's throat.

Eren turned ghost white, at first too shocked to do anything. "Holy shit...Mikasa...", he was just as shocked and confused as Annie...

How...? How was she...so strong? Where did it come from? They had only been training for four days, Mikasa barely had enough time to build her strength up that quickly...it wasn't possible.

"UNDERSTAND, Annie?!", Mikasa snarled once more, glaring dangerously down at the blonde. Annie didn't reply, tensing up...for the very first time Annie felt...afraid.

Which that alone...was an accomplishment. Eren snapped out of his shock, seeing the legit fear in Annie's eyes, the titan blade slightly bruising her throat.

"MIKASA, STOP IT!", Eren got up, and went to pull Mikasa off, but it was like trying to move a cinderblock.

She suddenly got so strong, it was impossible to move her. 'What the hell?! I was able to carry her on my back 8 months ago! How is it...I can't move her..?!', he thought.

Mikasa glared dangerously, but then, she finally got off of Annie. She stood up, putting her blade away. Annie sat up, and backed up several feet, even breaking into a sweat.

"Mikasa...", Eren started, but Mikasa had gone quiet, not looking at them. Annie got to her feet. "Annie um...are you hurt?", asked Eren, a bit nervously.

"I'm fine, but I'd put a tighter leash on your beast", Annie sneered then. Eren glared, feeling his blood boil.

"I never took you for a sore loser Annie...she knocked you on your ass, and you're not used to that, are you? How does it feel being on the ground for once?", he growled.

"The psycho tried to kill me...that was more than just training Eren. I could see it in her eyes. The girl clearly has problems...problems that can't be fixed. Consider all you're sacrificing for her. Take it from me Eren, she is beyond your help", Annie sneered, as she walked off.

Eren glared...it was true he had no idea where her strength came from, but he also knew Annie pushed it too far. "Mikasa...", he started, as he approached her.

Mikasa tensed up a bit. She didn't say anything, and she sprinted off, towards the dormitories. "Mikasa, wait!", Eren said, but she was gone.

Inside the dormitories, Krista and Ymir were walking down the hall towards the kitchen. "Seriously Krista, pudding again?", Ymir rolled her eyes.

"Hey, its good!", Krista defended, when suddenly Mikasa ran passed them, slightly knocking Krista against the wall by accident.

"HEY! Watch where you're going!", Ymir shouted, protective, as Mikasa locked herself in the bathroom.

"Ymir, stop it!", Krista snapped then, as she hurried down the hall. "Mikasa? Sweetie, what happened?", Krista softly knocked on the bathroom door, but got no answer.

Mikasa was shaking badly, leaning over the sink, the flashback she was having became clearer and clearer, and she couldn't shake it off. Her hands gripped the sink harder, as she began to cough...and she didn't understand why.

When her coughing fit stopped, she turned the sink water on, and grabbed the nearby cup. She filled it all the way, and began rinsing her mouth out...again and again.

Trying to get that taste...that body memory out of her...it was a memory she had forgotten...for so long. It was most likely due to the blackout that happened after.

Krista was unable to get Mikasa to open the door, and by night, Eren finally saw Mikasa enter her bedroom. "Mikasa...!", Eren followed her.

He gently entered her bedroom, to see Mikasa sitting on the bed, curled up. She was holding her teddy bear tightly, rocking herself back and fourth slowly.

"Mikasa...", Eren slowly approached her, and sat at her bedside. Mikasa glanced at him slightly, still remaining curled up in a tight ball.

"Mikasa, I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have lied to you or gone too easy on you during training...you must have felt like I thought you were an idiot...I just..never want to see you get hurt...I never want to hurt you Mikasa, even if its just by accident during training...", Eren explained in soft voice.

Mikasa curled up tighter, tears sparkling in her eyes. "It's not that...", she said then, in a broken voice. Eren blinked, his eyes widening a bit in worry.

"When Annie started to strangle you..and after what she said to me...I remembered something...", she started in a shaky tone.

"Remembered what...?", asked Eren worriedly. He felt his heart sink...Mikasa looked similar to how she did the very first day she was here, back when she was still injured.

Like she had relapsed back to her traumatized state, and any mental progress she made was completely gone.

"What he did to me...when I was 12...none of the others did this to me...he was the only one and it...", she trailed off, her eyes darkening.

Eren held his breath, and he got a sick feeling, realizing...what happened back there on the training grounds, clearly triggered a memory for Mikasa...from the age she gave, it must have been with the second pedophile.

"It hurt so much...I couldn't breathe...I couldn't...get off...I couldn't...anything...", she continued before Eren could collect his thoughts fully, as he listened to her.

"I couldn't scream...I couldn't even beg...I was choking to death...all I could do was listen to his...moaning...as he gripped onto my head and held it in place...", she said then, her voice was cracked and numb at the same time.

Eren's heart sunk, as his eyes widened in horror, as he pieced together what she was saying. "Oh god...Mikasa...", he breathed, in shock.

"I blacked out during it...and I had forgotten it happened...I just had remembered waking up with...with...a sore jaw and...unable to breathe right and a...", she suddenly curled up even tighter, if that was even possible.

"...a horrible...taste in my mouth...", she whispered shakily. Eren had lost all the color in his face, as he suddenly glared dangerously.

He clenched his fists, standing up. Mikasa blinked weakly and tearfully. "Eren...?", she asked.

Without warning, Eren slammed his fist against the wall, creating a hole, and causing Mikasa to flinch.

"I'll kill them...I SWEAR to you Mikasa, I'll make all three of those bastards suffer for what they did to you! I already had before but...the more I hear, the more I learn about them...it makes my insides churn...just thinking of their faces makes me wanna puke...", he snarled.

"Eren...", Mikasa watched as he shook furiously. "Mikasa...", Eren knelt back down at her bedside, calming down slightly.

"I promise you...you will NEVER go through that again...I won't ever let it happen again...", Eren assured her shakily.

"I will always protect you, and never let them near you...ever again", he said. Mikasa came out of her tight ball, as she then gently took his hand.

"Eren...", she whispered, a tone of relief in her voice. Eren scooted closer, and held her in his arms, stroking her hair, as she gripped onto his shirt.

Eren still didn't understand where Mikasa's sudden strength came from, but he didn't dare ask. She had been through enough today.

 _Five Days Later_

Mikasa continued her training, she ran for hours a day, did situps, and pretty much mastered her combat training thanks to her Ackerman power awakening.

Though she still had a long way to go, she was really progressing well physically. And the best part...she was training so hard, that when she finally got into bed, she passed out, exhausted, so exhausted that she didn't have nightmares.

She was getting better sleep than she ever had, she was sore from training, but she was getting stronger every day.

It was evening, and Eren was helping her with situps. Mikasa gritted her teeth as she pulled her upper body forward, her arms behind her head.

It was her 49th situp, she had gotten stronger both from her Ackerman power awakening, and from training, but she still was human and had a limit.

"Come on Mikasa, that's it! Just a little more!", Eren encouraged her, as she grimaced painfully, grunting until finally she managed to pull herself up, and then fell back down, gasping for air.

She unfolded her arms to rest them, in a bit of a snow angel position as she panted to catch her breath. Eren's eyes softened, worried.

"Enough Mikasa, you're really sore", he said, knowing she was hurting and exhausted. "No, Shadis said 50..its just one more Eren, I can do it", Mikasa assured him breathlessly.

"Mika, you're dripping in sweat...", Eren started worriedly. Mikasa blinked. "Mika...?", she asked, a little surprised by the nickname, and she even felt some color reach her cheeks.

Eren blushed, sweat dropping a bit. "Oh...um...", he scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. Mikasa smiled softly. "I like it...", she admitted.

"You really don't have to keep going Mika, I can tell you're sore...", Eren said after a few seconds. Mikasa shook her head, as she folded her arms again, and began pulling herself up.

She gritted her teeth, grunting with effort, her entire body felt so sore from doing this for so long, she'd feel all this in the morning.

"Come on Mikasa, that's it..almost, you're doing great!", Eren encouraged her, as she managed to fully pull her body up.

She then collapsed back down, exhausted, panting for air. "Okay, that's enough Mikasa, rest", Eren told her worriedly, as she caught her breath.

After a cool shower, Mikasa rested in bed, icepacks on her legs, shoulders and back, cuddling her teddy bear close. Eren brought water in for her, and fussed over her icepacks a bit. "How are you feeling, Mika?", he asked, after she finished drinking the cold water.

"Just tired...but I'm okay..", she assured as she cuddled her teddy bear closer. Eren's eyes softened, knowing she wasn't able to fully get over her miscarriage...she still slept with her teddy bear every night.

"You've really been pushing yourself hard Mikasa...I'm so proud of you...", he admitted quietly. He blinked then, noticing Mikasa had gone quiet.

He looked, and saw she had fallen into a deep sleep already, breathing softly. Eren smiled softly, and tucked her in.

As she slept soundly, Eren couldn't bring himself to leave her side. He watched over her...he really was amazed. Despite everything she's been through, she remained so strong.

He still remembered the night he saved her, nearly 9 months ago. How weak and frail she was, so close to death, and so frightened. He knew she still had a long recovery ahead of her...but she was already doing so well.

Eren softly held her hand as she remained asleep, and caressed it with his thumb. "You're really amazing Mikasa...", he whispered.

When morning came, Mikasa got dressed and ready for a new day of training. She brushed her hair, wrapping her red scarf, as she went down the hallway.

Exiting one of the bedrooms, Ymir stepped out and froze, seeing Mikasa. Despite being here for 8 months, Mikasa still hadn't properly really interacted with anyone aside from Eren, Armin, Krista and Sasha.

She was still timid of men she didn't know, so she was very aloof with Jean, Connie and Marco. Everyone knew where she came from, so of course they gave her needed space.

Ymir paused, studying Mikasa's face, getting a proper look at her for the first time. Mikasa starred back, and both of them froze.

Mikasa...recognized this woman. From where though...her mind wandered...it was so long ago but...she knew Ymir's face.

Ymir frowned. "You know...Mikasa, right? You're wasting your time here. This is a place for soldiers, and you're scared of your own shadow...this isn't really a life for you", she said then.

Mikasa frowned. "Maybe you're right...but I think we all have pasts we would like to forget...", she said then, lowering her voice.

Ymir fell quiet, still frowning. "Just stay out of my way..", Ymir walked passed her. Mikasa watched her go, before continuing outside, not wanting to keep Shadis waiting. Ymir watched the younger girl go. "So she is that girl I saw...", she muttered to herself.


	7. Training

**Author's Note: Hey guys, apologizes for the late updates. My senior cat Muggles passed away on July 26th after suffering brain damage from a bad seizure. She was taken to the vet to be humanely put down after being confirmed brain dead. So I needed a short break. Thank you for understanding. Also yes, for now Terror In Tokyo is on hold but not canceled.**

 _Two Weeks Later..._

Scouts flew through the deep forest like birds, as they all headed toward the large standing wooden titan stands, with the soft napes. Eren flew ahead, slicing at one of them, though the cut wasn't deep enough.

"You're still lacking, Jaeger!", Shadis ordered, as Armin flew in next, slicing the second. His was even more shallow than Eren's.

"Pathetic Arlet! Why don't you just serve yourself up on a platter for the titans?!", Shadis barked. "Sorry sir!", Armin apologized as Eren glared.

Shadis glanced behind, seeing Mikasa flying in next. She moved at amazing speed, her eyes focused, as she sliced the third one, a deep clean cut.

She landed by Eren and Armin. "Nicely done, Ackerman! A perfect cut!", Shadis praised, impressed. "That was amazing Mikasa", Eren said, as Armin smiled for her.

"I don't understand...these dummies are still, don't the titans actually move?", asked Mikasa as she put her blades away.

Jean and Connie flew in next. "Yeah, but they're slow as hell! And with someone like you leading a team, they'll be finished in no time", Jean grinned, as he subtly winked at Mikasa.

Mikasa tensed up, averting her eyes quickly from him, the expression he gave her...it made her heart start to pound, as her shoulders trembled a bit.

Eren glared at Jean, though the older trainee didn't notice as he flew off to practice. "And people think I'm thick...don't worry Mikasa, he's harmless", Connie assured her kindly.

Mikasa gave a small nod. For the most part, the guys left Mikasa alone in her time with them. They knew from the start what she had been through. Mikasa had remained greatly aloof of the male trainees, only spending her time comfortably with Sasha, Krista, Mina and any of the other female trainees, and of course with Eren.

She was even aloof around Armin. Of course she had shown incredible progress in her mental state, everyone knew, even Shadis, that she could never fully be healed.

She still slept with her teddy bear each night, and showed signs of timidness whenever a man (apart from Eren) got too close to her.

Connie, Armin, Marco, Reiner, and Bertolt all gave Mikasa space, and were always careful, though Jean was the only one who didn't seem to get the message. It seemed like he didn't realize extacly what she had gone through, and anytime Marco or Connie tried to explain, Jean seemed to mesmerized by Mikasa to hear them.

By that evening, Mikasa had spent the entire late afternoon running and training hard. Once she returned to her room, she felt so exhausted and sore.

She staggered to her bed, only in her shorts and training bra, collapsing onto her stomach on the bed, her head on the pillow, instantly passing out. Her teddy bear was sat in the corner of the bed, but still near her.

Sasha had left some ice packs on the bed for her, along with water. Because of how exhausted Mikasa was after training, she went into such a sound sleep, she didn't have nightmares.

By the following day, Eren and Mikasa were combat training again. She was getting better and better with her Ackerman power.

"Eren, you don't have to keep holding back", Mikasa insisted. "I know I just...I know physically you're stronger now, but...", he bit his lip, worried. He was scared that by mistake, he'd trigger something by touching her the wrong way.

Mikasa's eyes softened. "Eren, its all right. I know you. I know you won't hurt me...in that way", she assured him.

Eren swallowed hard. "Alright...", he raised his fists, and went to throw a punch at her, but Mikasa easily dodged it, and she got behind him in a flash.

"Oh crap...!", Eren started in a panic..she was so fast, and before he could react she locked both his arms behind his back, forcing him to kneel on the ground, tightening her grip on his arms.

In fact, her grip was so tight, that Eren felt a bone in his arm crack, and there was a subtle crunching sound, as Eren yelled out in pain.

"MIKASA! Stop!", Eren yelled out, painfully, grimacing. Mikasa froze up, and she suddenly felt her heart sink as she let go of his arms, realizing she had gone overboard.

"Eren...!", she cried worriedly, as he clutched his arm, gritting his teeth in pain. Mikasa's eyes filled with horror.

"I...I'm okay...just...", Eren winced, it was clear his arm was broken, he couldn't even move it. Mikasa's face only filled with more horror and disbelief, as she realized she had hurt him.

She didn't even know how to control her own strength, as Armin and Connie hurried over. "Eren? You okay?", asked Armin.

"Whoa, that looks bad!", exclaimed Connie. "I'm fine...its nothing..", Eren said, though he was still wincing. "I'll get a doctor!", Connie hurried off, as Armin knelt down at Eren's side.

Mikasa had gone silent, her face white in horror at what she had done, she began shaking. "Mikasa...?", Armin noticed, but she only tensed up, seeing Eren look at her, worry in his eyes. "I..I'm sorry Eren!", she cried, as she sprinted off, back into the girls dormitories.

"Mikasa, wait!", Eren reached out but he winced again, clutching his arm. "Damn it...", he growled. "I'll go talk to her, Connie should be back soon with a doctor", Armin assured him.

Inside the dormitory, Mikasa was sitting on her bed, she was curled up, hugging her knees to her chest as she gave a soft sigh, holding her scarf close.

It was just training...but she couldn't help but feel awful. She really had hurt him badly...and after everything he's done for her...

She felt tears sparkle in her eyes as she released a shaky sob. Before she completely broke down, the door softly opened.

"Mikasa...? Are you in here?", the door opened more, as Armin stepped in, his expression soft.

Mikasa curled up a bit tighter, averting her eyes from him. Armin's eyes softened, worried. He knew the only guy she trusted was Eren, and with the exception of Shadis, being her trainer.

But she remained aloof of the other guys, Armin included. Armin approached her carefully.

"Hey, its okay...", he started carefully. He sat what appeared to be some type of lunch box on the nightstand, sitting on the chair near her bed.

There was a small pause, as Mikasa finally glanced at him. "Is Eren...", she started to ask, her voice cracked.

"He's being seen by a doctor, don't worry", Armin assured the worried girl. Mikasa looked back down, swallowing hard.

"Mikasa, it wasn't your fault...you don't know your own strength too well yet", Armin added, seeing the obvious guilt on her face.

She remained silent, tears still in her eyes. "Soldiers get injured all the time in training, its common...so don't beat yourself up, alright? Eren wouldn't want you to", Armin continued in a soft voice.

Mikasa glanced at him tearfully, still holding onto her scarf. Armin sat a little closer, opening the lunchbox.

"You've really been training hard...after everything you've been through, a lot of people here really admire you", Armin said softly.

Mikasa looked down again. "You think..? Ymir and Annie seem to think I'm too broken to be here...maybe...I am...", she spoke quietly.

"Don't worry about them, they've always been negative...oh here we go", Armin then pulled something out of the lunchbox. Mikasa blinked softly.

"Like I said, you've been training so hard. You need to eat more", Armin set what appeared to be some type of dessert Mikasa's never seen before.

She blinked, gazing at it. It appeared to be a golden color, and it was on a plate. It also had what happened to be chocolate dipped on top.

"It's pudding, its a more rare dessert, its really good, its vanilla and chocolate", Armin explained, offering it to her. He set a small spoon on the plate for her.

Mikasa gently took the plate, as she looked down at it, inspecting it a bit cutely. When she was little...before her parents were killed, she did have some desserts.

Her mother used to bake amazing apple pies every year, and she even sometimes got these delicious sugar cookies from town whenever her dad left.

She also recalled having blueberry pie twice..but she never had pudding before. She scooped some of it into her spoon, looking at it. It was soft and almost reminded her of Jell-o.

She opened her mouth, and took a bite of it...and the moment the taste of vanilla and chocolate entered her mouth, her entire face lit up.

Her eyes even widened at how good it tasted. "How is it...?", asked Armin with a smile. "It's...it's amazing...", she confessed, as she ate some more.

"I'm glad you like it, there's some more in here, so if you want you can bring some of it to Eren later", Armin offered.

Mikasa ate more of it, enjoying it so much...she had never had something this sweet, not even with her parents. She could have never imagined something this sweet even existed. When she was...with the first pedophile, while he did give her better food than the other two, she never had anything like this.

And of course...when she was with the other two, especially the third one...she was lucky if she got stale bread and water.

And Armin knew this. "It might take a while for the doctor to fix up Eren's arm...you want me to keep you company?", he asked softly.

Mikasa bit her lip, she then gave a soft nod. Armin got himself some pudding as he sat a bit closer.

The two stayed together for a little bit, Mikasa had started to really warm up to Armin, until finally they were able to go see Eren. He was resting in bed, his arm in a cast.

"How are you feeling?", asked Armin, approaching his bedside, while Mikasa remained quiet, staying by the doorway, a look of shame on her face.

"I'll live, the doctor said it should heal within a few weeks", Eren replied, his eyes went to Mikasa, seeing her expression.

"Oh, right! Mikasa brought you some pudding. There was some left over in the kitchen", Armin said, trying to brighten the mood, seeing Mikasa's somber look. "Really?", asked Eren softly. Mikasa didn't say anything, averting her eyes.

She walked over though, and gently set the box on the nightstand. She opened it, and handed him the small plate of pudding.

"Wow...this looks amazing, I never get any since Sasha hogs my share usually", Eren admitted. Mikasa blinked softly then, realizing he couldn't hold both the pudding and the spoon, with his arm broken.

She gently took the spoon, and scooped some pudding up in it. Eren blinked, watching her as she sat on the edge of his bed.

"Here...", she held the spoon forward. Eren blinked, hesitating. "Mikasa..I'm not some weakling...", he started.

"Your arm's broken because of me Eren..please..it's the least I could do", she insisted. Eren sweat dropped a bit, a worried look in his eyes. But he sighed, and let her spoon feed him the pudding.

As Eren got a taste of it, some got on his nose. Mikasa blinked for a moment, as Eren tried to lick it off with his tongue, since his good arm was still being used to hold the plate of pudding.

"I can't reach it!", he said, his voice a bit slurred from sticking his tongue out. Mikasa starred at him, for a moment her eyes were a bit wide and it was difficult to read her expression for the first second.

Eren blinked, noticing her starring. "What's up, Mikasa?", he asked, his tongue still sticking out and attempting to get the pudding off his nose.

Mikasa then smiled softly, and then, she broke into laughter...a laugh Eren had never heard out of her before. Despite being with them for nearly a year, she had never truly laughed before. She smiled faintly from time to time but...nothing like this.

Eren's eyes widened, as he watched her...she had such a beautiful laugh, a laugh he never thought he'd hear out of her...after everything she's been through.

"Mikasa...", he smiled softly, as she slowly finished laughing, wiping the water from her eyes. "I'm sorry Eren...I...", she smiled, seeing his expression.

"I've never...heard you laugh before...", he confessed, a look of relief in his eyes. "You're right...and...it felt so good to laugh...I can't...remember the last time I did...", she confessed softly.

Eren's eyes softened, as he gently set down his plate and wiped his nose. He then gently took her hands in his.

Mikasa blinked, feeling some color reach her cheeks at this gesture. "Mikasa, listen to me. Its not your fault...you don't know your own strength yet. It was bound to happen, so please don't blame yourself", Eren pleaded.

Mikasa looked down, as she felt some tears fill her eyes. She gripped his hand a bit tightly, leaning down. "I'm sorry Eren...", she whispered.

"It's all right Mikasa...if anything I'm proud of you. You've come so far since I first found you all those months ago...", Eren soothed her.

Mikasa went quiet, but she gave a small nod. "I'm just...so glad you'll be okay Eren...", she said softly. Eren gently rubbed her back, as she kept hold of his hand.

That night, the two had drifted to sleep in the same bed. Eren had to sleep on his back, due to his injury, while Mikasa was curled up next to him, sleeping on her side. Eren opened his eyes, and turned his head to the side, gazing at her.

She was in a deep sleep...it was soothing to watch her sleep so peacefully. He recalled all the nights she suffered nightmares, how she barely got enough sleep because of them.

As he watched her, he noticed...she didn't appear as small as she originally was when he first rescued her. Thanks to training, and actually being on a normal diet, she really had grown quite a bit.

He felt some color reach his cheeks, as he gazed down, her top was a bit loose in the front, so he could just see the cleavage of her C cup breasts. He felt himself begin to sweat, as he turned redder.

She moaned softly in her sleep then, turning onto her back. This caused her breasts to be a little more exposed. Eren could feel himself grow warmer, but then he shook his head firmly.

He gently tucked her in, so her blanket was covering her chest, as he looked away, glaring.

'Don't even THINK about it Eren..what the hell is wrong with you...after all she's been through..', he shook his head firmly.

There was no denying at this point he had feelings for her, and...there was also no denying she had feelings for him. But because of what happened to her, it was natural they were both afraid to act on their feelings.

As Eren closed his eyes, attempting to go back to sleep, Mikasa's eyes opened softly. She glanced at him, seeing he appeared to be asleep.

She swallowed hard, feeling some color reach her cheeks...she had never really seen Eren sleep before...he always stayed awake when she needed him...she wondered how much sleep he missed when she was having her nightmares.

She gently pushed her hair back behind her ear, gazing at him, feeling her heart beating faster. A part of her...wanted to kiss him...but...as she tried to lean closer, her heartbeat picked up rapidly, and she kept seeing foggy flashbacks in her mind.

Her eyes darkened, as she looked down, biting her lip. She couldn't...she was too afraid...and she hated that she was.

'What the hell is wrong with me...its Eren...not them...he would never...', her thoughts raced in pure frustration. She shook her head, laying back down, frustrated with herself beyond belief.

She lay down on her side, curling up into her fetal position.

As she drifted into a deep sleep, for the first time in a while, her sleep wasn't dreamless. Instead, she fell into a vivid nightmare.

A memory of when she was with one of the pedophiles...though her dream was a bit too foggy to tell which one..

Eren stirred softly, he was woken up by the sound of soft whimpering. He propped himself up with a bit of a struggle, and gazed down at Mikasa.

She was asleep, but she was clearly having a nightmare. Her breathing was labored and shaky, and she was sweating a bit, her face expressing discomfort and fear.

Eren's eyes turned worry, she hadn't had a nightmare in a while, several weeks. She curled up tighter, gripping her blanket, shaking badly.

"Mikasa...", Eren gently placed a hand on her shoulder, but this only caused her to tremble harder.

"No...no more...please...I can't...take it anymore...", she cried in her sleep, though her cries were weak sounding.

"Mikasa..!", Eren gripped her hand, heightening his voice a bit, not wanting her to remain in that awful night terror.

Mikasa's eyes opened softly at the sound of his voice, and she sat up slowly, looking around her surroundings. She placed a hand over her chest, her heart beating a million miles a minute, though her expression looked out of it, like she wasn't fully awake.

"It's alright Mikasa, just a nightmare...", Eren started to assure her, but she didn't appear to hear him. She looked around again, the room was dark, and there was a window, letting some light in from the moon.

She looked at the window, gripping the blanket, and she got out of bed. "Mikasa..?", Eren's tone grew more concerned, noticing she didn't seem to hear him.

She approached the window, and she slowly unlocked it...Eren noticed something else strange, her hand was on her stomach...

Before he could wrap his head around what was happening, he saw her trying to open the window. "Mikasa...?!", the window was stuck, and she appeared to grow more and more distressed, trying to open it.

"Mikasa, hey...!", Eren got out of bed, though he struggled a bit due to his arm, as she finally managed to get the window open. Even though they were in a one floor building, it was still a bit of a drop down, high enough to get injured.

As Eren finally managed to lift himself up, he saw her leaning forward, like she was trying to exit the window...she then lifted her foot up onto it, to climb out.

"Mikasa! Hey!", Eren bolted towards her, and just as she nearly lifted her leg fully out, he reached her, grabbing her.

But this seemed to trigger something, as Mikasa screamed out in terror, fighting against his grasp. "Mikasa?! Hey, what is it?!", Eren cried, struggling to pull her back in.

"NO! PLEASE! LET ME GO!", she screamed hysterically, struggling hard, even elbowing Eren's broken arm, causing him to wince. He realized something was wrong, she wasn't herself.

"MIKASA! SNAP OUT OF IT!", Eren yelled, terrified for her, as he managed to fully pull her inside, and they both fell back onto the floor.

When they hit the wooden floor, Eren opened his eyes quickly, and saw Mikasa had landed on her side. "Mikasa...", he sat up, noticing her eyes appeared more alert and opened.

She quickly sat up, looking around at the room, trembling. "E-Eren...", she looked at him, clearly disoriented.

"It's okay Mikasa...were you...sleep walking?", asked Eren, biting his lip. Mikasa looked down, as if she was just as confused as he was. She glanced at the open window, her heart racing.

"I thought I was...back...with him...the night I escaped...", she started to explain, trembling badly. "You were sleep walking then...", Eren realized, worried.

Mikasa looked down, gripping her scarf. "Come on, its nearly morning anyway, let me get you something to drink..", Eren got up, and gently helped her to her feet.

Mikasa started to walk out with him, but she froze up. "Wait..!", she cried then, hurrying back over to the bed. "Mikasa?", Eren grew worried, seeing her search the blankets frantically.

After a few seconds, she finally found it, her teddy bear. She cuddled it as close as she possibly could, giving a heavy sigh of relief.

"My baby...", she cooed softly, closing her eyes and hugging the teddy bear close.

"Oh Mikasa...", Eren said worriedly, he realized in her memory, she was pregnant when she escaped the third pedophile. He gently took her hand, leading her to the kitchen.

As they walked down the hall, Eren's thoughts raced. What had he been thinking? Sure Mikasa was making amazing progress in recovering, especially with training, but this...what happened to her would never be erased.

She'd always still have bad days, and her nightmares wouldn't fully vanish. She had lost her parents at such a young age, been molested...and raped by those sickos...and even went through a miscarriage at only 14.

It was a miracle and a wonder she was functioning at all.

Once they made it into the kitchen, they noticed Sasha, Marco and Jean were already there. Sasha was stuffing her face with toast and eggs, and judging by the amount, she stole someone's share, most likely Connie's.

"Oh, morning Mikasa!", Sasha greeted, with her mouthful. But her eyes turned softer. "Oh..bad night?", she asked worriedly, swallowing her toast whole.

"Just some nightmares", Mikasa answered quietly."You want anything to eat? There's plenty", Sasha offered, continuing to eat.

"Just some warm milk is fine", Mikasa replied, as Sasha stuffed her face some more. "I'll heat you some up Mika", Eren soothed her, as he went to do that.

Mikasa didn't sit down, she felt too anxious as she stood near the table.

Jean and Marco were sitting on a table a few feet away. Jean was starring at Mikasa, but he also glared. "Did you hear what Jaeger called her?", he asked Marco.

"What? Um no...?", Marco blinked. "He already gave her a nickname..if that little brat thinks...", Jean got up.

"Jean, don't!", Marco started nervously. Jean ignored him, as he approached Mikasa. Mikasa blinked, and she quickly averted her eyes, she was tense enough from the nightmare she just had.

"Mikasa, right?", he asked. Mikasa gave a silent nod, still not looking at him. Jean gulped a bit, suddenly looking nervous, his face red.

"Um...well...I'm sorry but...you have really beautiful black hair...would you ever...well...I mean...I know its...someone as attractive as you...", he rambled at first, though his expression and rambling made Mikasa uncomfortable.

She took a few steps back, feeling herself tremble again, trying to give him the message, but of course he wasn't getting it.

"Huh...I was sure you spoke a few minutes ago", he got a bit closer to her, and that caused Mikasa to gasp softly in fear, backing up until her back was pressed against the wall, as she started to shake badly.

Before Jean could react, without any warning at all, he was suddenly flat on his back on the floor. Eren was standing in front of Mikasa, glaring dangerously, he had knocked Jean right down with immense force.

Sasha and Marco both starred, in shock. "Hey...what the hell?!", Jean yelled, sitting up slightly.

"Mikasa Ackerman is OFF LIMITS!", Eren snarled dangerously, glaring down at him. "If you ever lay so much as a finger on her...if you even LOOK at her, I'll break your fucking legs...understand?", Eren threatened, standing firm.

Mikasa's eyes widened, watching, in a bit of a state of shock at how...protective Eren was. She was a mix of surprised and touched...but most of all she felt safe. Her body relaxed.

Jean frowned, going to stand up. "What the hell is your problem, Eren?! She can't handle a compliment?", he started. Eren glared, and he kicked Jean in the gut, causing him to collapse back down.

"HOW FUCKING DENSE ARE YOU?!", Eren roared, as everyone watched. Jean clutched his stomach, but kept his mouth shut.

Eren glared, as he gently took Mikasa's hand, leading her out of the kitchen. Jean starred, totally dumbfounded for a moment.

"Jean, I told you!", Marco said then. "Told me what?!", Jean snapped. "You really are an idiot! She's the girl who Eren rescued!", Sasha piped in then.

Jean blinked, starring blankly for a moment. "Wait...HER?! I thought...that...", he stuttered a bit, feeling like a complete ass.

"You've been crushing so hard on her, you didn't even pay attention to a thing we said", Marco explained.

Outside the kitchen, Eren had led Mikasa back to bed. "I can't believe what a moron he is...", Eren growled, as Mikasa sat in bed, drinking her milk.

"Are you all right, Mikasa?", he added, in a soft voice. Mikasa gave a small nod. "I...feel a lot safer, knowing you'll always be there for me Eren", she gave a faint smile.

Eren's eyes softened as he sat beside her. "I'll always be here for you Mikasa, I'm never going to let anyone hurt you...or...touch you in that way, ever again. That's a promise", he assured her.


	8. Mission

_Two Years Later..._

Eren, Mikasa, Armin and the rest stood near the wall, being faced with higher up soldiers. Mikasa stood firm, her eyes focused, as Eren kept a worried eye on her.

The Colossal Titan had once again appeared, but vanished as quickly as he did. Titans were hoarding inside the wall again, and it was time to return to the battlefield.

Now 17 years old, Mikasa was a decorated solider. She wore her red scarf, as she stood, ready for their very first mission.

In the two years of training that passed, Mikasa had improved greatly in her mental state, however her past could never totally be erased. She still suffered nightmares sometimes, and even still slept with the teddy bear Historia gave her.

But despite all that, she was still a solider, and she had improved greatly. Eren had sworn revenge on the titans...and the sick bastards who did what they did to Mikasa.

"Eren, Connie and Armin! You three take the East! Mikasa, Sasha and Jean, the South!", the commander ordered.

"Sir! Mikasa Ackerman is to stay on my team, its an order from Shadis", Eren spoke up then firmly. The commander paused, looking at Mikasa.

"Noted. Change of teams. Eren, Mikasa and Armin go East, Connie, Sasha and Jean go South", he nodded. Mikasa exhaled in relief, standing close to Eren, as he also looked relieved.

Because of her past, Mikasa was treated as a special cadet, and it was under Shadis's order that she is teamed up with Eren on every mission.

"Mikasa, this will be our first mission..and the first time you see the titans for yourself...", Eren started, worriedly.

Mikasa gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll be all right Eren, as long as you're by my side, I'll be okay", she promised him.

In the passed two years, Mikasa had also grown close with Armin, and even warmed up to Connie, Marco and Jean.

"Move out, cadets!", the commander ordered. "Yes sir!", the trainees flew up, using their ODM Gear. Mikasa had mastered it at this point, as she flew alongside Eren and Armin.

The sun was still bright, the weather warm as they flew through the town. "There's more Titans in the North and West, that's why East and South were given small groups of three", Armin realized, as they continued souring across.

"I don't see any", Mikasa noticed. "Come on, we need to save on gas", Eren flew down, landing on one of the rooftops, as Mikasa and Armin followed.

As soon as they landed, they heard a stomping sound, as the ground shook slightly. Mikasa froze, her eyes widening, seeing a titan appear from between two buildings.

It stood at 15 meters, and walked slowly. "A titan!", Eren glared, drawing his blades. Mikasa's eyes followed the titan, and saw it was headed for a small corner in the street.

Crouched down in the corner, was a young woman. She was shaking violently, a civilian, she had no ODM Gear to use.

Mikasa's eyes widened, just noticing the woman was crouched over a smaller figure...a child.

"Why isn't she running?!", Armin cried, not seeing the child. Eren glared, just as he was about to engage his ODM Gear, Mikasa beat him to it.

She engaged, and flew toward the titan. "MIKASA!", Eren yelled fearfully, as he and Armin flew after her.

Mikasa glared dangerously, as she drew her blades, and sliced right through the titan's nape. Blood splashed out, as the titan collapsed to the ground, already starting to decompose.

The mother glanced up, trembling badly as she sat up, her little girl clinging to her fearfully. Mikasa landed in front of them.

Eren and Armin both landed near her, in awe. "Holy crap...she took it out in her first try...", Armin muttered.

"Mikasa, are you-", Eren began to ask.

"Are either of you injured?", Mikasa asked the mother and child, not hearing Eren. "N-No...thank you so much...you saved our lives", the mother cried in relief, as she stood up.

"Thank you big sis..!", cried the little girl. Mikasa smiled warmly at the smaller child, as she put her blades away, placing her fist over her heart.

"We just checked the area back there, you'll be safe on foot", she assured them. "Thank you again", the mother said, beyond grateful as she and the little girl headed for where safety was.

The sky darkened, as it started to rain quite hard. "Mikasa, that was amazing..", Eren said, in shock still. "You're not hurt, are you?", added Armin.

"I'm fine, don't worry", Mikasa assured them, as they flew back up to the roof. "Mikasa...I'm surprised...you didn't even flinch at that titan...", Eren said softly once they landed.

Mikasa held a piece of her scarf. "It's just a big, slow moving creature, with no signs of intelligence. I have no reason to fear it..what scared me more, was letting that mother and her child get eaten...", she explained.

Eren's eyes softened, as the rain poured down harder. Suddenly, a scream of terror broke through the silence.

"That sounded like Mina...!", Armin said urgently. "It's not too far away, let's hurry!", Eren glared, as he flew off the roof, towards the direction the scream came from.

"Eren!", Mikasa cried, following along with Armin.

Eren glared, and then he froze, seeing a large titan gripping Mina in its hands, as the girl struggled and screamed in horror.

"Mina...!", cried Mikasa, as Armin also froze, his eyes wide in horror.

"LET HER GO!", Eren yelled, as he engaged his gear. He flew at full speed toward the titan, but the titan lifted Mina up quickly, and bit down on her upper body, ripping her in half, as blood poured down from the titan's hand.

"No...", Armin stammered in horror, as Eren glared harder. "YOU BASTARD!", he snarled as he flew around, in an attempt to slice the titan's nape.

"EREN!", Mikasa flew over next, her eyes set on Eren...her eyes were so focused on Eren, she wasn't paying attention to her own surroundings, not seeing the titan's blood soaked hand reaching to grab her.

"MIKASA BEHIND YOU!", Armin yelled as he flew over. Mikasa froze, looking behind her, the next few moments happened in a flash, but felt like slow motion to her.

The titan threw Eren to the ground by gripping his cable with its right hand, while its left hand grabbed Mikasa around her middle. A smaller titan had sprinted towards it all, blocking Armin from getting closer.

Mikasa struggled, but the titan's grip was tight...not tight enough to break any bones, but tight enough to keep hold of her. As Mikasa struggled, the world suddenly went dark for her. She looked up, and her heart dropped, color leaving her face.

All she saw...was the back of a titan's throat. Heated saliva dripped down from the roof of its mouth, she felt the titan loosen its grip on her, but she landed inside its mouth, on top of its slippery tongue.

"MIKASA!", she could hear Eren's scream, as she started to slide down the titan's throat, she could see its grotesque teeth closing, the light of outside fading more and more, and just as it felt like her heart stopped..she felt a hand grab onto her.

"MIKASA..!", Eren was between the titan's teeth, holding its mouth open with all his strength, while gripping onto her hand.

"Eren...!", cried Mikasa, as she watched him struggle. Eren gritted his teeth, holding tightly onto her hand.

"N-NOT LIKE THIS DAMN IT! I WON'T...LET YOU DIE LIKE THIS MIKASA!", using all his force, he pulled Mikasa, and threw her outside the titan's mouth.

Mikasa landed hard on the roof that the titan was standing by. She cried out from the impact, but she instantly looked up, seeing the titan's mouth closing on Eren.

'Mikasa...I'm so sorry..I couldn't save you before...let me save you now...', Eren's thoughts raced as the titan's jaw closed more and more on him, seeing Mikasa's expression of horror.

"No...NO! EREN!", Mikasa began to get up, when suddenly the titan bit down, Eren's arm flying out and falling to the ground.

Mikasa froze up, in horror as the titan swallowed the rest of Eren. In that moment, it felt like Mikasa's heart had stopped, as the titan began to walk away.

"EREN!", she screamed in anguish to the top of her lungs, as Armin finally got passed the smaller titan. He froze, landing beside Mikasa, his face had turned completely white.

"N-No...Eren...!", he yelled in horror, when suddenly Mikasa stood up, shaking badly. She glared tearfully, and engaged her gear, flying toward the titan.

"MIKASA!", Armin yelled, but she had flown far ahead. Mikasa flew right at the titan, drawing her blades.

"Give him back...", she snarled dangerously, slicing at the titan's arms, back and legs. "DID YOU HEAR ME?! I SAID GIVE HIM BACK!", she bellowed, continuing to slice the titan in a fit of rage.

She flew around towards its nape. "GIVE HIM BACK!", she screamed, raising her blades to strike, but the titan suddenly turned around quickly, and opened its mouth.

Mikasa's heart sunk, she was moving too fast to stop herself, and she was caught by the titan's teeth. Her left side of her body was gripped tightly in the titan's teeth, close to her stomach, as she released a scream of pain, blood pouring from her body, the wound growing deeper and deeper.

"MIKASA! LET HER GO!", Armin flew over in a rush, as he attempted to slice the titan's nape, but it wasn't a deep enough cut. The skin simply regenerated.

"No, damn it, NO! LET HER GO!", Armin tried again, but the cut was again much too shallow to kill it. The titan bit down harder, causing Mikasa to scream out again in pain, dropping her blades.

Armin tried again, and then again, but the cut remained too shallow. His heart pounded in fear, as tears filled his eyes.

He had to save her..he had to keep his promise to Eren...

 _Four Hours Earlier..._

"Armin, remember my promise right?", Eren asked him. The two guys were up early that morning, watching the sun rise. Armin blinked, looking at Eren.

"If something happened to me...during any of our missions...if I got eaten...you'd take care of Mikasa for me...", Eren spoke quietly.

Armin swallowed hard. "What are you saying? Nothing will happen...this doesn't sound like you at all", he started nervously. "Just hear me out!", Eren growled.

Armin paused, as Eren glanced back inside. Mikasa was still sound asleep in bed, holding her teddy bear close.

"I'm just saying...worst case scenario...she's going to need someone. Please Armin, just promise me...if something happened...you'd take care of her", Eren pressed.

Armin glanced back at Mikasa's sleeping form. He got a sinking feeling as Eren spoke like this, but he gave a small nod.

"I promise Eren", he assured his friend.

 _Present_

Armin glared tearfully, as he watched the titan that ate his best friend, now biting deeply into his other best friend. He saw the color leaving Mikasa's face, as she lost more and more blood..she was no longer screaming in pain, her unfocused eyes proved she had went into shock.

Armin gripped the handles of his blades, and flew down once more. "I SAID LET HER GO!", he swung his body quickly, and sliced his blades deep into the titan's nape.

The cut was deep, and blood splashed out of the titan's nape. It caused the titan to loosen its grip slightly on Mikasa.

Armin took his chance and flew down, using all the gas he had left, as he wrapped his arms around Mikasa's limp form, pulling her from the dying titan's teeth, as they both landed hard, falling to the ground.

The ground shook violently as the titan also fell a few feet away from them, as it began to decompose.

Armin coughed, as he pulled himself up slightly, still on his hands and knees, but the sound of Mikasa's hyperventilating snapped him out of it.

"Mikasa!", he scrambled to his feet, hurrying to her side. She had landed on her left side, and now she was panting deeply, her eyes closed.

Armin reached her, and gently moved her onto her back, seeing her deep wound. His heart instantly sunk at the sight of it.

A good chunk of her left side had been bitten off, leaving a large, gruesome opened wound, that ended only inches from her stomach. It was like a bomb had blasted through her left side.

There was a pool of blood under her, that kept getting bigger and bigger.

"Oh no..! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Mikasa! Come on, hang in there!", Armin practically ripped his jacket off, as he used it to try and stop the bleeding.

He pressed it hard, as she cried out in pain from the sudden pressure. "I'm sorry, I gotta get the bleeding to stop! You're okay Mikasa, you're okay, just hang in there! Stay with me, Mikasa!", Armin pleaded, as her breathing remained weak and shallow.

Her eyes were unfocused, and there was no light left in them. Armin's panicked rambling began to go muffled for her, and his frantic expression also began to go blurry.

Her wound was deep, and it would get infected in no time...her life began to flash before her eyes as she thought back...her parents, her life with them when she was just a child...

How easily and quickly they were ripped away from her...how her life was ripped away from her. Spending her days for that long...being molested, raped, left broken and naked on the floor or bed, covered in bruises and scars...

And when light finally did return to her life, once again it was so easily and quickly ripped away from her. Eren...was gone. The person who saved her life...the person who took care of her all this time...was gone.

As this cruel fact sunk in...her will to live slowly slipped away.

"Mikasa! Mikasa, can you hear me?!", Armin had managed to get some of the bleeding to stop, he had ripped his jacket up a certain way so he could tie it around her middle to use as a bandage. His jacket was soaked in blood, but it seemed to slow down the bleeding.

She didn't answer him, her eyes didn't even move, her breathing extremely weak. Armin felt his stomach churn...she looked dead...the way she just was laying there, not blinking, barely breathing.

"Mikasa...come on...don't give up yet...!", Armin placed his hands over her chest, applying pressure, and then he carefully leaned down. He hesitated for the shortest second...knowing fully of her past but...she was too far gone to even react.

He pressed his mouth to hers, blowing a lungful of air into her. He continued this CPR until he was out of air, as Mikasa remained in the same state.

"Hang in there, don't you dare die Mikasa...", he removed her tanks from her ODM Gear, and put them in his own. "There's just enough gas to make it to the roof...", he realized.

He realized he had to get her out from the open, and somewhere high, before another titan came. "Mikasa, I need you to help me...", he knelt back down at her side, and attempted to lift her up, but she was dead weight in his arms...and in their years of training, Mikasa was much heavier than Armin.

Despite being the weak, small girl she originally was when Eren rescued her, two years have passed. And she was 150 lbs of pure muscle, while Armin was much smaller.

"Mikasa...please..! Other titans...they're going to smell us...!", Armin strained to try and lift her, but she remained dead limp...she was conscious but it was obvious she had lost her will to live at this point.

She was also surely still in shock from the pain and blood loss.

Armin clenched his teeth, trying to lift her. 'Come on Armin! Why...why do you have to be so weak?!', he thought to himself in frustration, and just as he ran out of energy, the sound of titan stomping approached them.

Armin's eyes widened, as he froze. A large titan stomped toward them, the ground shaking as it did. Armin at first was frozen in fear, while Mikasa didn't move.

She could see the titan approaching...but she didn't care. She just wished...Armin would run...save himself...

She struggled to part her lips, she was so weak...but slowly, she formed a word.

"R-Run...", she breathed. Armin froze, as he looked back at her, the titan getting closer. Mikasa very slightly looked at Armin.

"Run...please...", she pleaded, tears appearing in her eyes. Armin's heart dropped at her request...as he felt tears fill his eyes.

He then stood his ground firmly, and glared. "Mikasa...I promised Eren I would take care of you...if something happened to him...", he stood firm, gripping his blade, facing the titan as Mikasa remained still.

"You are NOT going to die here, Mikasa...I WON'T BREAK MY PROMISE!", Armin yelled, as he gripped his blade, ready to strike the titan's incoming hand, when suddenly there was a loud stomp behind them.

The ground shook violently, debris flying everywhere. Armin fell back, and he quickly threw himself on top of Mikasa, shielding her, as a much more muscled titan with long brown hair and green eyes stepped over them, and slammed its fist straight into the other titan.

Armin's eyes widened, as he watched the rogue titan kill the other, as it released a mighty roar, echoing throughout the land.

Mikasa's eyes slightly opened as she saw the titan, and some light returned to her eyes. That titan...it seemed...so familiar.

Her heartbeat picked up, as she actually managed to lift her head up slightly. "That titan...its killing other titans...!", Armin started, in shock.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of ODM Gear. "Armin! Mikasa!", Connie yelled, as he, Sasha and Jean flew down.

Armin snapped out of his shock. "Jean! Sasha!", he started, as they landed down. Sasha gasped in horror, seeing Mikasa. "Oh god...Mikasa..!", she cried, placing a hand over her mouth.

"She's hurt really bad...", Connie added, urgently. Jean glared, as he scooped Mikasa up into his arms, stronger than Armin, and flying up on the roof with her. The others quickly followed with Armin.

Jean gently set Mikasa down, at this point she had fallen unconscious. "What happened, Armin?!", Jean demanded, as Sasha knelt down at Mikasa's side, gently gripping her hand.

"She...was almost eaten by a titan...", Armin started to explain shakily. "Where's Eren?!", asked Connie looking around for him.

Before Armin could answer, the rogue titan suddenly roared violently, titan bodies around him, as he bit into a fifth one, ripping out its nape.

"What's with that one?", Sasha asked, as she stayed by Mikasa. "It's..killing other titans", Armin answered, still numb from the shock. "What the hell...", Connie started.

The rogue titan roared, as steam came from its mouth, as it suddenly collapsed to the ground, going limp. "Looks like he's out of steam...", Connie said.

"Who gives a shit! Just let it be!", Jean yelled. "Jean's right, we need to get Mikasa to a doctor, and fast!", Sasha added anxiously.

Armin hesitated for a moment, watching the titan decompose...and then...as the steam cleared, a human figure appeared on it. Armin squinted his eyes, and as it he saw clearer, his heart dropped.

That...wasn't possible. "Armin, what is it?!", Jean demanded, as Mikasa slowly opened her eyes. She slightly turned her head to the side, seeing Armin starring down.

She could see his eyes were wide in shock, as he softly uttered a word...a name. A name Mikasa knew all too well.

"Eren...", he whispered in shock. Mikasa's eyes opened more, and with some new found strength, she lifted herself up.

"Mikasa, no! Stay down!", cried Sasha but Mikasa pulled herself from the worried girl's grasp, and crawled over to the edge of the roof, ignoring the pain in her side.

She peered down, following Armin's gaze, and saw it...it was Eren. He was on top of the titan's nape. Mikasa's heart dropped to her stomach, as she quickly engaged her ODM Gear.

"MIKASA, STOP!", Armin yelled in horror then, snapping out of it. Mikasa landed hard on the ground near the titan corpse, having no gas in her gear. She cried out from the pain in her wound, but she actually managed to ignore it, as she forced herself to stand.

She made a painful sprint for the titan corpse, she climbed up, as her wound only pulsed further in pain. She reached Eren, as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

She froze, and pressed her ear against his chest...and heard the sound of a steady heartbeat. Tears welled up in her eyes, as she whimpered, hugging his limp form as tightly as she could, breaking out in tears, sobbing heavily, ignoring the searing pain in her injury.


	9. Recovery

Eren's vision was blurry when he first opened his eyes, he felt disoriented and confused, his memory foggy. His hearing was also muffled, but he kept hearing a voice.

As he slowly grew more conscious, his memory remaining extremely foggy, the voice became clearer to him. So did his vision, and he could see a large group of soldiers in the distance, on higher ground than him.

What he didn't understand...is why they had a large canon aimed at him. He thought for a moment he was dreaming still, when the voice he kept hearing suddenly got loud and crystal clear.

"Eren!", Mikasa cried, seeing he was waking up. Eren's eyes opened all the way, at the sound of her voice some bits and pieces of his memory returned. He looked at her, she was kneeling close to him, a worried expression on her face.

He looked ahead, to see Armin standing in front of them...appearing to be protecting them. "Eren, you're awake!", Armin exclaimed, standing his ground in front of the soldiers.

"Armin..what happened?", Eren started, completely confused...the last thing he remembered was pulling Mikasa out of the titan's mouth...what happened after that? How did they end up here?

And why did these soldiers look terrified?

"Eren, are you feeling alright?", Mikasa asked him, snapping him out of his deep thoughts. Eren blinked, looking at her again.

"Y-Yeah, I think so", he replied, seeing how worried she appeared. "Do you have any pain? Are you injured anywhere?", she fussed further, Eren noticed she looked paler than normal.

"No, I...I feel fine..I just don't remember..a lot...", he confessed. Mikasa exhaled in relief weakly, her eyes softening.

"I'm so glad...", as she said this, without much of a warning, she lost consciousness, falling onto her side.

"MIKASA!", Eren went to stand up, but one of the soldier's shot off his rifle as a warning, causing Eren and Armin to freeze.

"DON'T MOVE, JAEGER!", the soldier ordered, as the others all looked tense. Eren knelt back down at Mikasa's side, as he looked at her.

He noticed Armin's jacket was wrapped tightly around her middle...and saw all the dried blood on it. She was hurt...bad.

" _What happened, Armin_?!", he growled darkly, looking up at him. "You were eaten by a titan...Mikasa got hurt trying to save you, she was bitten by it...but I managed to save her. You came back...as a titan", Armin explained, not taking his eyes off the soldiers.

Eren starred blankly, taking all this in. None of what Armin said made any sense...how could he be a titan? He looked back down at Mikasa, and his heart sunk.

She was panting heavily, dripping in sweat, and she was extremely white. Eren gently felt her forehead, slightly moving her bangs with his hand.

"Armin, she's running a fever!", Eren told him urgently. "Believe me, I noticed...she's got an infection...", Armin nodded.

Eren glared at the soldiers then. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! She's injured!", he started, but the soldier cut him off again.

"ENOUGH! Eren Jaeger, you were sighted emerging from the carcass of a titan! So let me ask you a simple question! Are you human or titan?!", the solider ordered.

"I'm HUMAN! I don't give a shit what you do to me, just please! You need to help her!", Eren yelled back, he very gently lifted Mikasa into his arms slightly, as he supported her head, still staying knelt down though.

"Sir...you should know something...", a younger soldier muttered than to the higher up.

"That wounded soldier is Mikasa Ackerman...her story isn't a happy one but that's besides the point, she's the top of her class. Easily worth 1000 soldiers...it would be a great waste to humanity if we let her die...", the younger solider explained.

"It doesn't matter, she and the other one are allies with a titan!", the older soldier snapped back.

"Armin, we have to do something! Her fever's getting worse!", Eren said urgently, as Mikasa remained unconscious in his arms, panting weakly.

"I know! But if we move even an inch they'll blast that canon at us! We have to be patient...", Armin answered urgently.

"We don't have TIME to earn their trust, Armin! If we don't move it, she's going to die!", Eren shot back urgently, he could feel her fever getting higher and higher, and at this point we could smell her infected wound, even with Armin's jacket wrapped around it.

"We're ALL going to die if we're not careful!", Armin pointed out...though he knew Eren was right. They had to hurry, if the blood loss didn't kill Mikasa first, the infection and fever would.

But they were also stuck...trapped against a wall by panicked soldiers who only saw Eren as a blood thirsty titan.

Eren glanced down at Mikasa, as her labored breathing continued. In that moment, he felt himself shake furiously.

She was suffering because he failed to protect her. He didn't even want to...think about how deep or gruesome the wound was at this point..he just knew she was in this condition because of him.

What had he been thinking?! Bringing Mikasa into a life like this...he should have just...given up on revenge...it wasn't worth this...

"FIRE THE CANON!", the soldier's voice suddenly roared, snapping Eren out of his deep thoughts. His heart sunk, as he held Mikasa closer...his memory started to slowly return...if he could transform again, he could protect her...protect them both...

Right before the solider gave the hand signal to fire, an older man's voice was heard. "What in god's name is going on here?!", he ordered, stepping up to the soldiers.

Armin's eyes widened. "That's...Commander Pixis...", he said, as Eren blinked. The commander looked down at the three, and he frowned.

"What in the hell is wrong with you all?! There's a wounded soldier down there and you're aiming a canon at her?!", Pixis demanded at the men.

"Commander Pixis, we're not aiming at her! Its him! The titan! She's just in the way!", the soldier tried to defend, as Pixis looked back down at them.

"Him? That scrawny kid? You're kidding me?", he asked. "It's the truth Commander!", the soldier pressed urgently.

"Regardless, if he was dangerous he would have attacked by now. Lower your god damn weapons", Pixis growled, giving them a stern look.

The soldiers looked shocked, but they did as they were told. Using his ODM Gear, Pixis flew down to the three.

He walked over to Eren, kneeling down. "May I see the girl?", he asked, his tone softer. "Yes sir..", Eren loosened his protective grip on Mikasa.

Pixis unwrapped Armin's jacket to see the wound. "Poor thing...this is bad. Follow me and bring her, we'll get medics to take care of her right away", Pixis said then.

"Yes sir! Thank you sir!", Eren quickly but carefully lifted Mikasa up in his arms, carrying her as he and Armin followed Pixis.

"Commander Pixis! Are you insane?! What if he transforms?!", a soldier yelled down, urgently.

"Oh shut up", Pixis said simply, not even glancing at the panicked soldier, leading Eren up the stairs, passed the soldiers, to where some medics were waiting.

"We have a wounded soldier, she was bitten by a titan, a fever and infection has already set in", he told the medics.

"Yes sir, please set her here", the medic helped Eren gently set Mikasa down on the stretcher.

The medic saw how bad the infection was, and she quickly poured some type of liquid onto the deep wound. The sudden burning pain caused Mikasa to wake, and scream out in pain, gritting her teeth.

It was some type of medicine that cleaned the wound and fought the infection.

"Mikasa...!", Eren gripped her hand gently, as she squeezed it with all her might, Armin also kneeling down at her side.

"Hang in there Mikasa...", he spoke softly. "She's really bad, we're gonna have to take her back to the clinic for surgery and try to get her fever down...", the medic said urgently.

"Will she be okay...?", asked Eren fearfully, while Armin also looked worried. The medic hesitated. "We don't know...I've never seen anyone survive a wound this bad. It'll depend if her body is strong enough to fight the infection", the medic explained.

Eren swallowed hard, as Armin also paled. Mikasa looked weakly up at them, her eyes were unfocused and she couldn't even make out their faces, her vision blurry.

Her fever was extremely high at this point, she couldn't even form words...it was possible she was in shock too.

The medics lifted her up carefully on the stretcher as they began carrying her to the clinic. "Move slowly, she's still bleeding", one said urgently.

"Her temperature is at 107! We need to get it down quickly!", another medic said anxiously, while Eren could hear another one comment on the infection smell in concern.

"Did...did they say 107?", asked Armin fearfully, his heart sinking while Eren has gone still, feeling more and more guilt eat at him for this.

Pixis saw their concern. "Don't worry, they'll take good care of her. They're the best medic team around", he assured them.

"In the mean time...Eren, I need you to do me a favor", he said then, as Eren looked at him. He could hardly think straight to be doing anyone a favor...not with his mind on Mikasa.

But...Pixis saved their lives, and he had a feeling if he did as the Commander said, it could help with people accepting him...as a titan.

"Armin, please go to the clinic. I don't want Mikasa to be alone when...she wakes up", Eren said then, worriedly.

"I will, don't worry", Armin promised. He went to turn to leave when Eren stopped him then. "Armin...thank you...", he said.

Armin's eyes softened. "Don't worry...I promised you, didn't I? I'll take care of her", he said softly.

Eren watched as Armin hurried to follow the medics. He saw Armin take Mikasa's limp hand, as they hurried inside the clinic, before turning to follow Pixis.

 _Five Hours Later..._

Eren ran as fast as he could towards the clinic...the last few hours were a bit of a blur at this point, but all he knew right now was he had to get to Mikasa.

Using his titan form, he plugged up the giant hole in Wall Maria, and that was enough to gain a lot of trust from the soldiers, though a hearing would still be held.

But he didn't care, his main concern right now was Mikasa...his heart was pounding in fear, as panicked thoughts raced through his mind...wondering...if she even made it...

He entered the clinic, and as he ran down the hall, he saw Armin exit a recovery room. "Armin!", Eren hurried over.

"Eren...", Armin said, looking relieved he was okay. "How's Mikasa? Is she okay?", Eren asked quickly, as he caught his breath.

Armin hesitated, his expression turning somber. "She's...really sick, Eren...", he started nervously. Eren felt his heart sink and he actually felt sick himself at the grim tone Armin was using.

"They did surgery, and managed to patch up her wound, but the infection was there for far too long. When we first brought her in, her fever was about to reach 108...they were able to get it down to 104 but...she's far from out of the woods", he explained.

"So...what now...?", asked Eren, shakily.

"We wait...at this point its up to her. They did all they could for her. If her body can fight off the infection, her fever should break by morning...if it doesn't break by morning...", Armin swallowed hard then, going quiet.

Eren went silent, shaking badly as he looked down. Armin looked grim. "I'm sorry Eren...if I was stronger...I could have...saved her...prevented her from getting so badly hurt...", he said quietly.

"This isn't your fault Armin...its mine...", Eren growled, clenching his fists.

"What the HELL was I thinking?! After all she's been through...forcing her to go through more?! I should have never...", tears flooded Eren's eyes as he continue to tremble furiously.

Armin remained quiet, as Eren exhaled shakily. He entered her recovery room, seeing her resting in bed. She was unconscious, changed into a clean white nightgown.

Her red scarf was folded neatly on the nightstand, and her breathing was still labored. Not as bad as it was before, but she was clearly still fighting a fever.

Her middle was bandaged up from her surgery, and she was laying on her back, though she was propped by pillows a bit.

Eren walked up to her bedside. "Oh Mikasa...", he said softly, as he placed the cloth in the bowl of cool water on the nightstand by her scarf, and gently wiped her forehead and neck, seeing she was still sweating quite a bit.

She remained still and unconscious, as Eren sat at her bedside, watching over her. He noticed her old teddy bear was by her..he figured Krista must have brought it once she got word of what happened.

All Mikasa felt was heat...her body felt heavy as led, and everything was dark. In her feverish state, she kept seeing blurry memories of her past.

Images of those men...random nights of the sexual assault she suffered, different things they made her do for their own pleasure.

The pain she felt each time she was groped or penetrated, the way they wouldn't stop even after they finished...they'd go again..and again until she had gone completely limp.

How some nights she had to beg and say disgusting things that turned them on, just to get food and water in return.

How the third pedophile refereed to her as his 'pet' and how the first one messed so badly with her mind, acting like a loving father during the day, and a child predator at night, like he had split personality.

And how the second one violated her not just with being the first one to rape her, but to force her into oral sex and he often hit her and chained her to the bed.

Very slowly, her eyes began to flutter open, but her fever was still very high. Her vision was blurry and her head was spinning.

She saw a figure hovering over her...but...she couldn't make him out.

"Mikasa...?", Eren blinked, seeing her eyes had opened a little bit. She appeared very out of it at first, but then her eyes suddenly filled with fear.

They opened more, and without a warning, she tried to get out of bed. "Mikasa!", Eren grabbed her, though he had to do it gently due to her injury.

"N-NO! LET ME GO!", Mikasa struggled, and she managed to shove him off, just enough for him to loosen his grip.

She tried to run, but she was so weak from her fever, she slipped and fell hard on her left side, where her wound was. She cried out in pain, gritting her teeth and clutching her side.

"Mikasa!", Eren's heart sunk...terrified she ripped her stitches or injured herself further, but once he saw her back up against the corner of the room, he froze.

She had curled up tightly, shaking violently, in the corner of the room. Eren went to take a step forward but it caused Mikasa to curl up even more, as she flinched fearfully.

"Shit...Mikasa...", Eren realized she must be hallucinating from her fever. He kept his distance, not wanting to frighten her further...but at the same time he knew he had to check her wound.

He glanced over at the nightstand and got an idea. He lifted up her red scarf, and very slowly approached her.

Mikasa whimpered, closing her eyes tightly, as if afraid he was going to attack her. The sight of her like this made Eren's own eyes grow heavy with tears nearly...he hadn't seen her have an episode this bad since the very first night she was with them.

He sat a few inches from her, and held out her scarf. "Mikasa...hey...remember this?", he asked softly, he had to get her to snap out of it.

Mikasa's eyes opened, and she blinked weakly, starring at the scarf for the longest moment. Some light returned to her eyes, as she reached out, and took it.

She held it close, and exhaled weakly. She then glanced up at Eren, as the hallucination stopped.

"Eren...?", she asked shakily, swallowing hard. Eren sighed greatly in relief.

"There you are...Jesus Mika...", Eren scooted a bit closer, worried as Mikasa trembled, and then she leaned into his arms.

She cried softly, as Eren stroked her hair. "Easy...easy, you're safe Mikasa..you're safe", he soothed her. Mikasa gripped onto his shirt, breathing shakily. She winced then, hissing in pain from her wound.

"I need to check your stitches, you fell really hard...", Eren said worriedly. Mikasa gave a soft nod. "Easy does it..easy...", Eren helped her to her feet, and back into bed.

He eased her down onto the bed, and very gently lifted her shirt, seeing the bandage. He went to unwrap it, but Mikasa flinched.

"Shit, sorry! I'm sorry Mikasa...I won't...", Eren started, nervously. He realized he's never touched her around her middle, and it could back bad memories for her. Mikasa shook her head.

"I'm okay...", she assured, trying to force her flashbacks away. Eren nodded worriedly, as he slowly unwrapped the bandage.

He tensed up, seeing it still looked pretty bad. But luckily, the stitches were still in. "Thank God...you're okay", Eren sighed in relief, as he wrapped her bandage back up.

Just then, there was a soft knock at the door. It opened, and Krista stepped in. "Mikasa? Oh sweetie...!", she cried, looking beyond worried.

"Krista...?", Mikasa blinked weakly. "I heard you got injured...everyone's so worried. We were told only I could come back to see you...Sasha, Jean, Connie and the rest are outside", Krista explained.

"Marco?", Eren asked. Krista hesitated, looking down grimly. "Marco...was killed...I heard about Mina...", she replied. Eren's eyes widened, as Mikasa swallowed hard. Krista's expression turned worried.

"You poor thing...you're dripping in sweat...", she placed a cool cloth in the bowl of water, rung it out and gently wiped Mikasa's forehead.

"Her fever's still pretty high...", Eren admitted worriedly. Mikasa leaned weakly, as Eren helped her lay down. She held her teddy bear close, as Krista's eyes softened. "Thanks for bringing that, Krista", Eren said, grateful.

Mikasa started to pant weakly as she drifted to a restless sleep.

When morning arrived, Mikasa stirred weakly. She still felt out of it and exhausted, but she suddenly felt cooler and not as heavy.

She turned her head to the side on her pillow weakly. "Mikasa?", Eren gently felt her forehead. "How is she?", asked Krista worriedly.

Eren gave a heavy sigh of relief, he nearly felt light headed. "Her fever broke...", he said, as Krista came over.

"Oh thank goodness...", she cried. Mikasa looked at them both tiredly. "Eren...", Mikasa said weakly. "Mikasa...I'm so glad...I knew you could pull through...", Eren said, his voice cracked.

"How are you feeling?", he asked. "I feel a bit hungry...", admitted Mikasa tiredly. "I'll go bring her some food", Krista smiled, as she hurried out.

Eren stayed at Mikasa's side, holding her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb. "Eren...did you sleep?", asked Mikasa softly, noticing his dark circles under his eyes.

"I'm fine, don't worry Mika...I'm just...so relieved you're alright", Eren assured her, his eyes darkening. Krista soon returned with some food.

"I'm sorry its just the usual stuff sweetie...", Krista apologized, bring a tray in with soup, bread, some meat, a potato and crackers, and water.

"It's alright...", Mikasa went to sit up, but she winced. "Easy...easy, Mika, easy does it...don't push yourself. You're really hurt...", Eren swallowed hard, as he very carefully helped her sit up. She was like fragile glass at this point.

Mikasa exhaled shakily, still very weak, as she started eating. After she finished, the doctor came back in to check on her.

The doctor confirmed Mikasa would heal, she had managed to fight off the infection and the fever, though she'd have to stay in bed for at least a few days, and it could take up to a month to return to the scouts.


	10. Promise

**Author's Note: Last chapter had a typo, Eren plugged the hole of Wall Rose, NOT Wall Maria.**

 _Five Days Later..._

"That's it sweetie, easy, let me see...", Krista was checking Mikasa's stitches.

It was early afternoon, Mikasa was resting in bed, her back propped by pillows, as Krista gently unwrapped the bandage around her middle. There were get well soon cards all over her nightstand from everyone.

Eren had gone to get her lunch, while Krista checked her wound. "It's looking pretty good...its still got a lot of healing to do, but the infection's mostly gone..", the smaller girl confirmed, looking relieved.

Mikasa winced a bit as Krista started wrapping it back up. "Still hurts, sweetie..?", asked Krista worriedly, as Mikasa gave a quiet nod.

"I'll see about getting you more medicine for the pain, just hang in there", Krista said softly, as she finished re-wrapping the bandages.

The door opened quietly then, as Armin stepped in with Eren. "I got you some lunch Mikasa, you feeling hungry?", asked Eren as he set the tray on the table.

"A bit..thank you Eren", Mikasa said, looking grateful. She blinked softly then, noticing Armin was silent, he had an expression of shame on his face.

"Armin...?", she titled her head slightly, as Krista got some towels. "I'll prepare your bath, Mikasa", she assured her, as she went into the bathroom.

Armin swallowed hard, as he walked over to Mikasa. Eren blinked, watching as Armin sat at the injured girl's bedside.

He couldn't seem to look up at her, but he then lifted his hand up. In it, was a small but beautiful bell flower. Mikasa's eyes widened, looking completely surprised, while Eren's expression was...almost tense.

"Armin...its beautiful...", Mikasa gently took it, as Armin choked back a sob then. "I'm so sorry Mikasa...", he apologized, his voice cracked.

Mikasa blinked, giving him a concerned look. "If I had only been stronger...I could have prevented this...you wouldn't be here, this injured...you wouldn't have gone through such a horrible fever...", Armin explained, tearfully.

Mikasa's eyes softened, she then gently took his hand, giving it an assuring squeeze. Eren bit his lip, having gone dead silent. He didn't realize it at the time, but he felt...jealousy. Watching the two like this...he actually felt jealous.

After all, his feelings for Mikasa were still there, and very real. But he never dared act on those feelings, not after everything she's been through.

"Armin...please look at me..", Mikasa spoke gently, as Armin tearfully looked up at her. Mikasa held the flower close.

"What happened to me wasn't your fault, okay? I got reckless, I wasn't enough aware of my surroundings...it wasn't your fault, or Eren's", she assured him.

Eren looked at her softly, while Armin wiped his eyes. "Even so...I'm so sorry Mikasa...you're like my sister...I never want to lose you..", he said shakily.

Eren blinked, he felt his body relaxing as the jealousy he was feeling melted away at what Armin just said, as he watched the two.

Mikasa gently squeezed his hand, she then pulled him a bit closer to hug him...she knew he must be terrified to hug her, because of how badly she was hurt.

They hugged gently...and Eren could see by their embrace, there were no romantic feelings between them. It was clearly a sibling like friendship.

The two gently broke apart, as Armin sniffled.

After Mikasa finished her lunch, there was a knock at the door. "Eren? Armin? Commander Pixis wants to see you both", Connie said, he and Sasha had stepped in.

"Hey sweetie..", Sasha hurried over to Mikasa side, gently taking her hand. "How are you feeling?", the redhead asked, worried.

"I'm hanging in there..", Mikasa assured her friend. "You gonna be okay, Mikasa...?", asked Eren worriedly, hating it whenever he had to leave her.

"Yeah, Sasha and Krista are going to help me with my bath", Mikasa assured him softly, as Krista exited the bathroom just then.

After Eren and Armin left, Sasha and Krista helped Mikasa into the bath once she got undressed.

"That's it, easy Mikasa, easy...go slow...", Krista said gently and patiently, as Mikasa winced a bit, gritting her teeth, grimacing in pain as the water began touching her wound and stitches.

"It's going to burn for just a second sweetie, then it'll stop. We gotta keep it clean...", Sasha added in a soft voice, as the girls helped Mikasa soak down in the water.

Mikasa exhaled shakily once she was sat down, the bath tub was quite big and spacey, so all three girls could take a bath together and not be too crowded.

The water went up just to the bottom of their chests. "This water feels amazing...", Sasha mused. "It's almost like being at a spa, too bad we don't have some type of face masks", Krista admitted with a smile.

"I heard you can use pumpkin or apple sauce as face masks!", Sasha said then. "Really? I don't know...", Krista admitted, skeptical.

Just then, the door opened suddenly. It caused the girls to flinch in surprise, and Sasha threw the soap at whoever entered.

"OW! Its just me!", Ymir's voice came then. The girls blinked, seeing Ymir in just a towel, rubbing her nose from where Sasha hit her.

"Ymir..?", Krista turned a bit red, while Sasha blinked. "You never join us in baths", she commented, while Mikasa also looked a bit surprised.

"Yeah well there's only four bathrooms in this place, and I didn't exactly fancy sharing a bath with the guys", Ymir scoffed, as she got in the water.

She glanced at Krista, and the two turned a bit red, avoiding eye contact. "So...how's your injury?", Ymir asked Mikasa then.

Mikasa looked at her. "So..you're talking to me now?", she asked. It was no secret Ymir and Annie often avoided Mikasa, and were at times down right rude to her.

"Look, I'm sorry I doubted you back when you first joined. You're really a badass, I mean I guess you showed me. You were the top of our class, despite everything", Ymir explained.

Mikasa bit her lip. "I'll live...", she answered Ymir's question, looking down into the water. "You just need a couple weeks of rest is all sweetie", Krista assured her gently.

Ymir rolled her eyes then. "Would you knock that off? If you keep babying her, she's never going to be careful", she growled.

Krista frowned. "Ymir, she was almost eaten by a titan! She's hurt badly!", she argued back. "I know that, but how many of us actually get eaten? She should be counting her lucky stars she's breathing", Ymir shot back.

Mikasa had gone silent, looking down at her reflection. Sasha frowned, worried. "Come on you two! Do you always have to fight? Mikasa doesn't need this right now..", she started.

Ymir and Krista fell quiet for a moment. "It's not that...", Mikasa spoke up then, her voice quiet. The girls looked at her.

"I'm just...", she curled up a bit, glancing down at her injury. Sasha and Krista's eyes turned worried. "What if...I'm barren...?", asked Mikasa then, her sudden question surprising them.

"The wound is so deep...it..", she looked down at it, the stitches eerily close to her stomach.

"You're thinking of having a kid someday?", Ymir started to laugh, but suddenly soapy water splashed her in the face.

"What was that for, Krista?!", Ymir snapped, as Krista glared almost dangerously, having splashed her.

"Shut the hell up! Don't you remember what happened? Her miscarriage?", Krista asked, glaring. Ymir fell silent then, as she glanced at Mikasa, who was quiet.

There were tears sparkling in her eyes. Ymir sighed, she glanced at Mikasa's wound and spoke softer this time.

"You're not barren", she said then. Mikasa blinked, looking at her. "I can tell by where your stitches are...it was close, but you'd have no issues bearing children, I mean..if you someday wanted to...okay?", Ymir assured her.

Some light returned to Mikasa's eyes at this, and she felt...such relief fill her.

Naturally, she never got over her miscarriage..and losing her baby. Even today, nearly three years later, and after all that training...she still slept with her teddy bear, and thought back to the baby she lost. It was no wonder she yearned to have a child one day.

So the very idea of becoming barren...it terrified Mikasa. "Thank you...", she said softly to Ymir.

"Ymir...", Krista beamed, looking impressed. "Oh, I just remembered! I got potatoes in my bag!", Sasha leaned over the tub, reaching for her bag on the floor.

"Sasha, did you steal them from the rations again?", Ymir frowned, while Krista began washing her hair. "No! I just have two, I saved them from my lunches!", Sasha said.

"Sasha, you could never save anything from your lunches", Mikasa pointed out then, and the girls all felt some relief at this...the fact Mikasa was feeling well enough to join in was a great sign.

"Innocent until proven guilty!", Sasha defended. Mikasa blinked, she then glanced over the tub, seeing a bunch of potatoes had rolled out of Sasha's bag and onto the floor.

"Sasha...there's 10 potatoes on the floor, not two", she said then, as Sasha paled, looking panicked.

"PLEASE DON'T TELL THE COMMANDER!", the redhead pleaded then, panicked, knowing she was on thin ice for her food thieving.

Mikasa frowned for a moment.

"...Alright, wash my back and I'll keep quiet", she said then. "Of course! I'll massage your back if you want!", Sasha nodded, quickly agreeing.

Mikasa smiled, and she even gave a small laugh, to all the girls relief.

"Okay, okay Sasha", she chuckled a bit. Krista smiled. "It's great to see you smile again, Mikasa", she said, as Sasha began gently washing Mikasa's back, while Krista washed Ymir's.

While the girls had taken baths before in the past, it was really sinking in for Mikasa...she really did have a family, friends. Not just Eren and Armin, but Krista, Sasha, Ymir, and even Connie and Jean.

She had lost so much in her life...she had been through so much in her life. Despite...all of that, she actually felt like she was part of something special.

Spending time with Eren, Armin, Sasha, Krista, or any of them...helped her forget about her past..even if it was just for a few moments...having friends, a family who loved her and cared about her like this...it helped pull her from the darkness.

Even though she was so badly injured, even though she was part of a war against humanity's most dangerous enemy...she felt more free and happy than she ever had...the last time she felt such happiness and comfort was before her parents were murdered.

Down the hall in the same building, Eren and Armin had just finished a meeting with Commander Pixis. "That's about all then...", said Pixis.

"Sir...if its not too much trouble, I have something to ask you..", Eren started. Pixis blinked, listening.

 _Four Days Later..._

Eren paced back and fourth outside Mikasa's bedroom...it was morning, and he had been debating with himself for the passed two days. He looked down at a piece of paper he held in his hand, that seemed to be some type of document.

He frowned, his eyes darkening, as he sighed, pacing more, when suddenly her bedroom door opened. Eren blinked...no one was in with her this morning.

The door opened fully, and Mikasa stepped out. She was wearing her long white summer dress and pink jacket, along with her red scarf. Her hair was brushed and she looked like she was feeling quite better today.

But she was still injured badly, even last night she had trouble getting comfortable from the pain, so Eren panicked.

"Mikasa! What are you doing?!", he gawked at her in horror. Mikasa blinked, tilting her head slightly. "What?", she asked, a bit confused.

"You shouldn't be out of bed yet! You're still hurt", Eren explained, beyond worried about her.

"Eren, I'm about to get cabin fever in that room..I'm going crazy in there. I need to stretch my legs too", Mikasa explained softly.

"I've been in there for nearly two weeks, I gotta stay in shape. Sasha's been spoiling me with pudding, I don't exactly want to get fat when we have to go with the Scouts", she explained with a small blush, though it was obvious she had a very high metabolism, since she didn't look like she gained a pound, despite being unable to exercise.

Eren's eyes remained darkened at her mentioning the scouts, he swallowed hard, unable to look at her.

"How are you feeling..?", he asked.

Seeing this made Mikasa feel a bit tense. "I'm still sore...but much better than I was...Eren, are you okay...?", she asked worriedly. Eren sighed deeply, and gently took her hand.

"You wanna come take a walk with me?", he asked her softly. Mikasa nodded, still feeling worried but she followed him.

They walked outside, and after about 20 minutes, when they were under a large tree by a pond, Mikasa winced, stopping.

"Mikasa?", Eren's eyes turned worried, seeing her hand on her side, her face expressing pain. "You need to take a breather, Mika?", he asked her softly.

"Y-Yeah...sorry Eren..its already starting to hurt...", Mikasa admitted. "Don't apologize...", Eren gently and carefully helped her sit down with him onto the grass.

Mikasa exhaled weakly, as the pain eased but a throbbing soreness did remain, no matter if she was sitting or standing.

The wind breezed softly through her hair and scarf, as she gazed out at the pond, while Eren looked down grimly.

"It's so beautiful out here...", she said then softly. After everything she's been through...being a prisoner to those pedophiles, and not being allowed to see the light of day for so long...Mikasa appreciated being outside much more than inside.

"Mikasa...", Eren started, his voice quiet. "Hm..?", Mikasa looked at him.

"So...because I can turn into a titan...the Scouts want to use me to help them fight titans..with my ability...", he started, still not looking at her.

"I already figured that Eren...besides, this is what we trained for, to join the scouts", Mikasa admitted, not seeming surprising by this news.

"It's going to be dangerous..far more dangerous than what we faced already...", Eren continued, again still not looking at her. "Eren, I'm well aware...", Mikasa assured him.

There was a pause, and Eren looked more away from her while Mikasa looked back out at the pond.

"So...there's a family, who lives near Trost...its just a husband and wife, they haven't been able to have children, and they think she's barren...so they've been looking to adopt...", Eren spoke then, quite suddenly.

Mikasa looked at him, starring at him in utter confusion. "They don't mind that you're 17, nearly an adult...they know everything about you, what happened to you, and they...really want to take you in, as their own daughter...I found them during the passed 4 days you were resting...", Eren continued, again sill not looking at her.

Mikasa got a sick feeling in her gut and her eyes widened. "What...?", she asked, in a tone of disbelief and horror.

"You'd be safe with them, they'd take care of you, and protect you. You wouldn't be spending your days fighting titans and risking your life...", Eren went on.

Mikasa's eyes only widened more the more he spoke. "Eren, I...I don't understand...I thought...I was staying with you, and Armin...", she began, her lip trembling.

"Hasn't that...been the plan this whole time? Isn't that what I went through training for...?", she added shakily.

"Mikasa, I can't keep risking losing you...when I saw you nearly eaten by that titan..you were halfway down its god damn throat! After EVERYTHING you've been through, the very LAST thing you should be experiencing is the titans!", Eren snapped.

Mikasa flinched, going quiet. "I can't just drop out of the Scouts now if I even wanted too! Being able to turn into a titan, I'm stuck now! They won't let me just retire knowing what I am...at least not this soon...", he explained.

Eren was terrified...terrified he wouldn't be able to protect Mikasa, that she would just get hurt again because of all this. He was especially scared that he'd lose control in his titan form...if she was nearby when he did...

"You'll be safe with this family...", he sighed. Mikasa glared then. "Are you sure about that?", she asked him then. Eren blinked, his heart sunk from the tone she used.

"Eren, LOOK AT ME!", Mikasa yelled then, seeing he was still avoiding eye contact. Eren flinched, and finally looked up at her.

Her eyes were sparkling with tears, and she looked...terrified. She was shaking like a leaf.

"I'm still oriental, I'm still half Asian...I'm rare. Do you understand? I'm...rare", she started, her voice shaky.

"Even if a man doesn't...he'll still see the profit in selling me...I'm stronger than I used to be, I can defend myself now but, when I'm with the Scouts...I'm guarded. I feel secure...and...you, Armin, Sasha, Krista and the rest...are the only family I know and can trust...", she trembled.

"...I don't...want to ever go back to that...I can't...", she began to shake harder, as she curled up, hugging her knees to her chest.

Flashbacks flooded her mind of all she had been through...her parents being murdered, the auction, every molestation and rape she endured...her miscarriage...

"I _CAN'T!",_ she sobbed heavily, burying her face into her knees. Eren's heart sunk, seeing her fully break down.

"Mikasa...", he realized the point she was trying to make. If she was with this new family, she wouldn't be as protected as she was in the scouts, and she would just be a mere civilian.

Any man could see her eyeshape, and plan a way to kidnap her. In fact...the more Eren thought about it, the more he wondered if he could trust this couple asking to adopt her...what if they were traffickers? And their story was a lie?

"Mikasa...I'm so sorry...", Eren's voice came out cracked...he wasn't thinking. He didn't realize what a horrible mistake this could have been...he just wanted her safe.

Mikasa sobbed softly, before looking up at him tearfully.

"Eren...please...please, I'm begging you...don't leave me...", she pleaded. Eren's heart sunk...he recognized that tone she was using.

Even now...after all this time...she still had submissive tendencies, because of those sick bastards...

"Mikasa...I'll never leave you. Don't beg, please...I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking...I just...want you as safe as possible...after everything you've been through...", he explained.

Mikasa wiped her eyes, as she moved a bit closer to him.

"Eren...I know its dangerous...but its much more safer than where I was...I promise I'll be careful from now on...I just...I can't lose you...you've...been there for me since the night you rescued me...you were my guardian angel that night...", she said shakily.

"I promise you Mikasa...I'll stay with you forever, I won't ever leave you...I'll protect you...", Eren vowed, gently taking her hand.

Mikasa felt such a powerful wave of relief fill her, she exhaled shakily, giving a soft nod.

"We should get back inside...", Eren gently started to help her to her feet. Mikasa gripped onto his hands, wincing quite a bit from her injury.

"Easy, easy Mika, don't push yourself...", Eren soothed her. Once Mikasa got to her feet, she noticed their faces were inches apart, and they both turned a shade of pink.

Eren even looked away nervously, while Mikasa felt her heartbeat pick up rapidly. But...it wasn't from fear.

Her heartbeat always picked up around Eren, but it wasn't the same fearful heart pounding she experienced when she was a child...it was...different.

She realized in that moment...Eren's been there for her all this time, he hasn't left her side...even with Armin, Sasha, Krista and the rest looking after her, Eren always remained there, front and center for her.

"Eren...", Mikasa started.

Eren blinked, looking at her slightly, while still blushing. Then, without warning, Mikasa inched closer to him, closing her eyes, and pressing her lips to his in a soft, tender kiss.


	11. Hearing

The wind breezed softly over the hill, as Eren and Mikasa's soft kiss broke gently after several seconds. Their eyes opened, as they gazed at each other lovingly.

"Mikasa...", Eren started, as he very gently stroked her hair. "I was...so scared to admit this...because...after everything I've been through...", Mikasa started.

"I know..I was scared too. There was no way in hell I could even mention my feelings, after the torture you endured...but, I really love you Mikasa...", Eren confessed.

Mikasa exhaled shakily. "I love you too Eren...so much", she leaned into his arms, as Eren held her close.

Their feelings have been strong for so long now, if it wasn't for Mikasa's past, they would have confessed and acted on them much sooner.

Mikasa gently gripped her scarf, as she nuzzled into his arms. Eren held onto her protectively. 'I promise you Mikasa, I will get justice for you...', he vowed in his mind.

"We should...get back", Mikasa said softly, wincing a bit. "Yeah, you need your rest", Eren agreed, wrapping a gentle arm around her waist, helping her back inside.

The following day, without much warning a hearing was suddenly called to determine if Eren could be trusted or not.

Even though the Scouts already accepted Eren to join them, there was still a matter of convincing the higher ups it was safe to allow Eren to join.

Eren had already been taken early that morning for the hearing. Armin and Mikasa were getting ready to head there as well, about half an hour before the hearing started.

Armin adjusted his jacket when he saw Mikasa's bedroom door open.

She stepped out, wearing her Trainee uniform. Her left side was still bandaged under the top, as she straightened her jacket.

Armin starred at her for a moment. "Armin..?", asked Mikasa, noticing his starring.

"Sorry...its just its weird, seeing you back in your uniform already..", Armin confessed looking down.

Mikasa's eyes softened, she gently came up to him. "Sasha had to help me with the straps...Armin...I'll be okay, don't worry. It wasn't your fault", she assured him. She knew Armin seeing her back in her uniform was bringing back horrible memories of their first mission.

Armin gave a small nod, as they headed to the hearing.

When they entered the courtroom, Mikasa's heart sunk seeing Eren was chained to a pole in the middle of the room.

"Eren...!", she started worriedly. "Mikasa..!", Eren looked over at her, worry on his features. He didn't want her out of bed in her condition, but he knew there was no stopping her from being here.

He noticed she was clutching her side, so he knew she was still in quite a bit of pain from her injury.

Mikasa and Armin stood in a front row of the witnesses, as the judge turned to look at Eren.

"Eren Jaeger, is it true you assumed Titan form on the battleground?", he questioned. "Yes, but I didn't-", Eren started.

"Is it true you've been a titan all this time and hid it away from your comrades and superiors?", the judge cut him off.

"NO! I didn't reali-", Eren began. "Despite your secrets, you still plugged up the hole in Wall Rose and fought other titans", the judge continued.

"I didn't keep any secrets, let me fin-", Eren started. "But what about her?!", someone questioned then. Eren froze, looking at the man.

"How do we know SHE'S not a titan?!", the man questioned, pointing at Mikasa, who froze, looking startled by the sudden accusation.

"We should dissect her to be safe!", another suggested. Mikasa felt her heart sink, suddenly feeling scared.

"Wait just a minute, I may be a monster but she has nothing to do with this! Leave her out of this, she's INNOCENT!", Eren suddenly bellowed at the very suggestion of that.

Mikasa's eyes widened as she watched him go off, he still defended her, and put her first even when his own life was on the line.

"Like we trust either of you!", someone yelled.

"ENOUGH!", Eren roared, pulling at his chains, causing everyone in the room to flinch and go quiet. Mikasa, Armin and Levi were the only ones who didn't express fear of him.

Eren shook furiously, looking down at the concrete floor. 'No...this shouldn't be about me...here we are in a god damn court room...and not an ounce of justice has been served for her..', he glanced over at Mikasa as he collected his thoughts.

He glared then, looking back up. "WHERE in the hell was all this fuss when the Survey Corps took Mikasa Ackerman in?!", he demanded then.

The room had gone tense, men whispered and murmuring at this. "All of you know, right?! She was kidnapped at only 9 years old, and she was living with pedophiles until she was a teenager!", Eren pressed. Mikasa had gone quiet, feeling a severe migraine coming on...but she knew why Eren was bringing it up.

Some of the officials broke into a nervous sweat. "Now hold on a minute Jaeger, this hearing is about YOU assuming Titan form. We're still investigating her case, we never stopped!", the judge said firmly.

"Really? Because from our point of view, it seems like the case has gone cold", Eren growled, glaring. The men fell silent again. There were murmurs and whispers throughout the court room.

"We haven't heard a word about it...Armin!", Eren turned to look at his friend then. Armin jumped a bit, startled.

"Cover Mikasa's ears...DO IT!", Eren yelled urgently...they had to hear all of it. Mikasa's eyes widened but she trusted them both. Armin nodded, knowing what Eren was about to say next. He placed his hands over Mikasa's ears, clasping them tightly.

Mikasa closed her eyes, not wanting to hear any of it, but at the same time she knew why he was going to say it all.

Eren glared again. "When Mikasa Ackerman was 9 years old, her parents were murdered and she was kidnapped! She was sold to an underground pedophile ring, she was bought and molested by one until she was 11, and then she was sold off to a second one! There she was raped and forced into oral sex!", Eren started, glaring fiercely. "AGAIN! This is YOUR trial, NOT hers!", the judge tried to interupt.

"SHUT UP AND LET ME SPEAK! She was sold to a THIRD one, where she was raped to the point of near death! When I found her she was pregnant...pregnant at only 14 and suffering a miscarriage! She was emaciated to the degree she looked like a fucking skeleton! Her physical recovery took MONTHS! And she is STILL mentally recovering, she'll NEVER be mentally healed!", Eren roared, cutting them off.

"Now let me ask you one thing...with all the time she's been healing in the Survey Corps, WHERE the hell has the investigation been for this?! Why haven't we heard a word?! Hell, why are more children still suffering from it?!", Eren demanded.

The room had gone silent. Armin slowly uncovered Mikasa's ears. Mikasa opened her eyes, biting her lip.

"You have to understand, these pedophile rings are underground...we have been trying to find the bastards, but we can't do it on such little information, these things take time...we're doing all we can...", the judge began, feeling pressured now.

"NOT ENOUGH!", Eren roared then angrily. Everyone flinched in the room again except for Mikasa, Armin and Levi.

"How about this? You let me join the Scouts, and I eat all three of the bastards who did this to her to give you all a headstart", Eren growled then.

There were gasps and audible sounds of horror at this. Levi glared, and he suddenly approached Eren. "You know...you were JUST starting to make a fair argument. You just had to fuck it up!", then, he kicked Eren clear in his face, knocking out a tooth.

"EREN!", Mikasa's mouth gaped in horror, her eyes wide, as Levi continued beating Eren. She glared dangerously, and was about to stop him, but Armin grabbed her arm.

"Mikasa, wait!", Armin told her firmly. Mikasa paused, her eyes still filled with horror and worry as Levi continued beating Eren.

"You're SUPPOSED to convince them you're not some man eater! But if that's how you really feel, then transform right here and eat me!" Levi ordered, continuing to kick and beat Eren.

Eren's entire face was bloody and bruised at this point, as everyone watched in horror.

The beating felt like it was going on forever, as Eren began to lose consciousness, blood coming out of his nose and mouth.

Mikasa trembled violently. She couldn't take watching it anymore.

"STOP IT!", she cried, tears sparkling in her eyes. When Levi didn't stop, she suddenly got out of Armin's grip.

"MIKASA!", Armin cried. Just as Levi was about to kick Eren again, Mikasa got in between. She shielded Eren, as Levi's kick hit her left side, where her wound still was. She screamed out painfully, gritting her teeth, tears in her eyes, but she kept protecting Eren.

"M-Mikasa...!" Eren yelled fearfully, but his head was still foggy from such a beating.

Everyone in the court room starred in horror and shock, as Levi stopped. Mikasa kept her head down, as if expecting another kick, her left side was pulsing in pain.

Levi looked up at the judge.

"I'd say there's all the proof you need right there. He hasn't attempted to transform once despite me beating the literal shit out of him, and even this girl, who's been a victim to pedophiles, is protecting him", Levi made that point then.

Mikasa glanced up weakly, clutching her side. Eren looked up as well. He glared dangerously at Levi for kicking her, even though it was an accident.

The court had gone silent for the longest moment. "Mikasa Ackerman...can you at least describe what the pedophiles looked like? If we knew that much...it would help us with your case", the judge asked then.

Mikasa blinked, she was taken aback...no one had ever asked her what they looked like, not even Eren. She swallowed hard, looking down.

"Anything at all would be useful..!", a man started. "DON'T pressure her", Levi suddenly snapped, surprising Mikasa and Eren.

"Look at her, the girl's been through hell. And yet she's still fighting titans for your lazy asses", Levi sneered.

The men in the room went silent, you could feel the shame. Mikasa looked down, her eyes darkening more.

"The first one...", she spoke then, as everyone listened. "He was my dad's age...in his mid 30s. He had short dark brown hair, and brown eyes...he wore a dark gray cloak all the time..he was tall, about as tall as Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover from the Survey Corps...", she started.

"Did he give you a name?", asked the judge. Mikasa shook her head. "None of them wanted me to call them by their names...", she answered, her tone going darker and darker.

Eren watched her, worry all over his features. He knew this was difficult for her to talk about. "That checks out, pedophiles will try to remain anonymous and won't give any of their victims their real names...", Levi said.

"The second one..he was younger, in his late 20s...he looked similar, only he had blue eyes, and was shorter...he wore different clothes each day", Mikasa continued.

"These could literally be anyone in Trost...", the judge muttered. "Could you remember anything specific about any of them? Unique?", he pressed.

Mikasa was quiet for a moment. "The third one..he was in his 40s...he had a tattoo on his shoulder, of a titan with wings...", she recalled then. Eren's eyes widened, and the entire court went tense.

"A tattoo of a flying titan?", the judge asked, surprised. "I'd say that's really unique...he would be the easiest one to find", another man nodded.

"Did the titan have demon wings or angel wings?", Pastor Nick asked then, from the stands. "Angel wings...I think he..was some kind of worshipper of titans...but...I can't be sure", admitted Mikasa.

Pastor Nick had gone quiet at her answer. Levi frowned, but didn't say anything.

"Levi Ackerman, we're willing to grant you custody of Eren Jaeger, but understand if he goes rogue in any way, we're holding you and your squad responsible", the judge told him.

"Understood", Levi nodded. Mikasa held onto Eren's hand, she sighed in relief, still clutching her side.

Eren glared though, looking up at Levi, blood still on his face. "Don't touch her...ever again", he snarled, protective of Mikasa.

"Grow up, kid. It was an accident, nothing more", Levi growled at Eren. If Eren wasn't beaten so badly, he would have actually tried to swing a punch at Levi.

Mikasa however didn't hold a full grudge against him. She was upset for how he beat Eren, but at the same time she noticed him defend her.

Afterwards, Eren, Mikasa and Armin were escorted to where Levi's squad lived. It was a large two floor cabin in the forest, a fairly quiet area surrounded by trees.

Petra was tending to Eren's injuries, while also checking Mikasa's. "Sorry about him, he can get so rough sometimes, even when its not needed", she apologized, as she finished patching Eren up.

"Has he always been like that..?", asked Eren, as Mikasa winced a bit from Hanji gently lifting her shirt up.

"Sorry sweetie, I gotta take a look...", Petra frowned worriedly, seeing the bruise on Mikasa's injury. "Its bruised, but the stitches didn't fall out. As long as she doesn't start bleeding, she should be okay", she confirmed softly.

"And unfortunately yes, or at least for as long as I've known him", Petra answered Eren's question, as Mikasa bit her lip, still appearing in discomfort.

"Can you at least get her something to relieve the pain...?", Eren asked, worried for her. "Of course, I'll bring you both something to eat as well", Petra assured, as she left the bedroom.

Mikasa sat on the bed beside Eren, leaning softly against him. Eren wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"He didn't mean to hurt me, Captain Levi...", Mikasa said softly then. Eren sighed, averting his eyes. "I know it was an accident...", Eren looked at her then.

"Mikasa...why didn't you ever mention...about the titan tattoo..?", he started to ask her, carefully.

Mikasa's eyes darkened, as she curled up a bit. She then went to reach in her bag. "No, Mika I got it, don't move..", Eren assured her, knowing she was hurting bad.

He grabbed her bag and set it on the bed for her. Mikasa opened it, and pulled her teddy bear out. Eren went quiet, a worried look in his eyes as Mikasa hugged the plush close.

She began rocking herself back and fourth, as if she had to calm herself before answering. Eren swallowed hard.

"Wait, Mikasa you don't have to answer if its...", he started. Mikasa shook her head. "I'm all right...I just...haven't held Sunshine in a long time...last night I..had nightmares about...my baby...", she explained, her lip trembling.

"Mika...", Eren said worriedly. Mikasa cuddled her plush bear close, before exhaling softly.

"The first time I noticed it...it was my first night with him. I was 13...he didn't...waste any time...", she started, thinking back to it.

 _Five Years Ago..._

The room was mostly dark, nothing but a small lantern lit on the nightstand. The curtains in the window were closed, and the door was locked. A small figure was sobbing badly on the bed. Mikasa was laying on the side of the bed, on her stomach.

She was clutching the pillow weakly, tears streaming down her face. There was blood between her legs on the bed, and the smell of infection was starting to fill the room.

She had been sold off to this third man this afternoon, and the second he brought her in, he had raped her. No build up or anything, he just assaulted her the second he was alone with her.

It went on for an hour...with no end or mercy in sight. Mikasa had screamed, cried and begged him to stop, but it did no good.

It simply turned the sicko on more.

And...he was much bigger than the other two. Mikasa had tore, her entire vaginal area was lacerated in a gruesome manner, and she couldn't even move, the pain too severe.

As she lay there, shaking and exhausted, her eyes weakly opened, noticing he was sitting on the bed, his back to her.

As her eyes watched him, she noticed something strange. An image inked onto his right shoulder...it looked like a titan, but with angel wings.

In her state of shock she starred at it, not even realizing she was, as the image went into her subconscious. The man froze, noticing her starring.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you it was rude to stare?", he snarled dangerously, as he suddenly grabbed her by the hair, and threw her across the room.

Mikasa screamed out painfully, she landed on the inside of his small walk in closet.

"Don't breathe a god damn word of that to anyone, understand me?", he warned, as he slammed the closet door, locking it.

Mikasa curled up, whimpering painfully, closing her eyes tightly as she continued bleeding. She heard him leave the house, but even if she wasn't locked in, she was too hurt to try and escape.

She was in far too much pain to even move, she dreaded having to try and pee...but she dreaded having to endure the next time even more...

 _Present_

Eren starred at Mikasa in horror as she finished telling him. Even though she's told him bits and pieces of her past, any time she did, Eren could never grow unphased or used to it.

Every time he even thought about what she was threw...it made his blood boil. Every new story she was able to tell him, only made his bloodlust for those bastards even stronger.

"It was strange...he seemed more worried about me talking about his tattoo...than he did about me ever saying about him raping me...", Mikasa added, looking down.

Eren frowned, looking at her. "Don't worry about it Mika...you're safe here, I promise", he assured her, gently squeezing her hand. Mikasa nodded softly.

That night, Eren was tossing and turning unable to sleep. He kept seeing images in his mind of Mikasa...somewhere suffering, in pain, being assaulted by one of them..

He clutched his bedsheets, sweating, hearing her screeching screams in his nightmares. He could hear her pleading for someone to save her, but he was unable to reach her.

"MIKASA!", he shot up, his eyes opened and they were glowing green for the briefest second, as he panted.

He heard a small startled gasp and he realized he had woken up. Mikasa was there, standing by the door looking startled by him suddenly waking.

She was in a long white nightgown, wearing her red scarf, clutching her side. "S-Sorry Eren...I didn't mean to wake you...", she started, looking a bit pale.

Eren blinked, snapping out of it as he relaxed. "No, I'm sorry Mikasa...I must have scared you...it was just...", he started to explain.

"Nightmare..? I understand..", Mikasa looked down slightly. Eren's eyes expressed worry. "What's wrong..?", he asked

"I couldn't sleep...I..had some nightmares as well", Mikasa confessed, as she sat down next to him on the bed. The room was dark except for the moonlight from the window.

"Could I...sleep in with you tonight?", she asked him softly then, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. Eren felt himself turn red, instantly flustered.

"S-Sure, of course Mika", he replied. They were both red in the face. Even though they've shared a bed many times before, it was different this time...now that they were technically boyfriend and girlfriend.

Eren swallowed hard, looking nervous. The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable...after everything she's been through...

Mikasa shifted a bit closer to him. Eren could feel his heartbeat pick up. "Mikasa...?", he asked in a soft voice.

Mikasa bit her lip, she then gazed up at him, and kissed him softly. Eren blushed, but he returned the sudden yet gentle kiss. He stroked her hair, as Mikasa leaned in a bit closer.

Their breathing got a bit heavier, as they grew lost in the kiss. Eren slowly and carefully wrapped his arms around her, as Mikasa placed her hands over his chest.

Eren kept his hand on her back and waist, being so gentle with her, as she deepened the kiss a bit. Eren felt surprised at this, but he deepened it as well. He let her take a lot of the lead in this, only doing what she was comfortable with.

Despite everything she's been through, Mikasa was still a young woman. She was still in love, with the man who saved her life. She wanted...no needed to know what true physical love felt like.

All she knew of this was abuse and torture, and she didn't want that to be her only memories of it.

She deepened the kiss even further, wrapping her arms around Eren's neck. Eren held her close, but still gently. Then, for just a second Eren thought he heard the faintest, softest moan from her.

No...he had to be hearing things, but then he heard it again, just a tiny bit louder.

"Mmmmm...", Mikasa moaned very quietly as they continued making out, and it made Eren turn redder than he ever had...not to mention he felt his pants grow a bit tighter. He couldn't exactly physically help it.

Mikasa was also experiencing a physical reaction of her own, she could feel a sudden heat and dampness between her legs...

Eren deepened the kiss, and very slowly and carefully lowered her onto the bed. Mikasa's breathing picked up, and for the slightest moment she didn't feel afraid.

She felt...good. She actually...felt physical pleasure. Something she never thought she could experience, as Eren softly broke the kiss, and began kissing her neck.

As he did, Mikasa lay her head back, closing her eyes, enjoying the feeling of it. Her breathing got heavy and she just started to moan a little bit more.

Becoming lost in the moment, Eren slid his hand down her leg, his fingers close to her inner thigh. As she felt his hand there, Mikasa suddenly felt her heart skip a bit...but not in pleasure.

She tensed up, closing her eyes tighter, as memories started to break through her moment of peace. Memories of when she was a child...and how each of those pedophiles touched her there.

As Eren's fingers brushed lightly against her inner thigh, Mikasa suddenly cried out, getting a vivid flashback of what she was with the first pedophile. The night he had molested her, and forced her into an orgasm...

"Eren!", Mikasa suddenly cried, struggling under him. Eren's heart sunk as he realized he had gone too far, and he quickly got off of her, even getting off the bed.

"Shit, shit, I'm sorry Mikasa...!", he backed up, as he instantly felt himself shaking, furious with himself. What the hell was he thinking?!

She wasn't even close to ready for this. Mikasa was also shaking, as she sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.

Eren glared down at the floor, clenching his fists. 'I'm such a fucking IDIOT...', he thought to himself.

"I..I'm sorry...", Mikasa spoke then, her voice cracked. Eren looked at her in horror. "Mikasa...Why are you apologizing?!", he asked her, going pale.

Mikasa felt tears sparkle in her eyes, as she hid her face into her knees.

"Because its me...! I..I'm so sorry Eren...I'm broken...", she cried, sobbing softly. Eren's eyes softened, but he also felt his stomach twist in horror.

"Mikasa...", he very carefully approached her. She leaned into his touch, and he sat back down, holding her close.

"This was my fault Mikasa, I moved too fast for you...don't you dare apologize. I'm the one who should be saying sorry...", Eren soothed her, stroking her hair.

Mikasa sobbed softly, frustrated beyond belief with herself, as Eren just continued comforting her. "Mikasa, you're my girlfriend..broken or not. I promise, I'll fix you..and if you can never be fully fixed, that's fine. I love you so much, and I just want you happy and comfortable...so please, never blame yourself...its not your fault. It's _theirs_ ", Eren assured her.

Mikasa gave a shaky nod, as she continued crying softly in his arms until she fell asleep.


End file.
